JOE MADDON SUCKS

Joe Maddon vs Gene Mauch

2011-05-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

   To those of you who have read the JoeMaddonSux blog over time, you are familiar with my disliking of Gene Mauch's management style in baseball. I truly do feel like his methods of using match ups instead of using common sense back in the 60's and 70's and 80's truly cost his teams a chance to win playoffs series, and he finished never making an appearance in the World Series. Mauch's teams consistently folded in critical times, and he had 3 near World Series teams that failed to make it, in large part because Mauch would use match ups he was sure would work, even when everyone else in the ballpark realized Mauch was making the wrong decision. Younger readers and fans may not be aware of Gene Mauch's personality, or his managerial style, but one of his most famous quotes was "I'm not the manager because I'm always right, but I'm always right because I'm the manager." Joe Maddon was in the Angels organization for many years when Gene Mauch was there, and has credited him as one of his mentors. I got to watch first hand in 1982 and again in 1986, how Gene Mauch's decisions cost the Angels a chance to participate in the World Series, as his stubborn methods cost the Angels twice when they were leading by 2 games in playoff series, and in 1986 they were 1 out away from going to the World Series, with no one on base, but Mauch decided to change the starting pitcher for a matchup of lefty vs. lefty, and Gary Lucas pitched and hit the batter, Rich Gedman, and then Mauch changed pitchers again and Donnie Moore gave up a home run, and the Angels went on to blow a 3-1 games lead, and lose the ALCS, and the Red Sox went to the World Series, and eventually lost to the Mets.

   When Joe Maddon came to the Rays as manager, and left the Angels, he came and brought a similar philosophy as Gene Mauch. Mauch believed in "little ball" which was using the bunting game, defense and pitching to win games, and didn't rely on heavily on offense. While for the most part, this is a winning style, Maddon's constant excessive use of changing pitchers, and using alternate lineups, and creating match ups brought back memories of Mauch and his habits of letting match ups rule his methods, instead of being open to common sense and a "feel for the game". Today's game has changed dramatically from the Mauch days, and the Saber metrics, and other methods have now been used more than ever. While I agree with alot of the new baseball ideas, I still feel there is a need for baseball instincts, common sense and a feel for the game. Saber metrics can't truly graph a player's emotions, how he is feeling on any given day, how the weather effects certain game decisions or certain players, and several other factors, and all in all, even when the math tells you a decision is wrong, sometimes a manager just has an instinct that he know it's the right time to go against the charts and make a "gut" decision. I know that is hard for the younger generation to understand, and loyalists to the Saber metric ideas will disagree, and I can understand that, as the majority of them haven't experienced how the game of baseball used to be, only how it is today. Managers like Maddon, that have been around, understand the concepts from both sides of the equation, and should be able to manage accordingly.

   I originally disliked Maddon's methods of using the alternate lineups, and the multiple pitching changes just to match up certain players vs. pitchers, but over time have come to realize that Maddon is using the new ideas and implementing the new style of baseball more often than not, and it tends to work out more often than not, even if I didn't agree with his methods. I still can't believe he used Kelly Shoppach in game 5 of the playoffs last year, regardless of the Saber metric numbers, when Shoppach had been brutal all season as a hitter and catcher, and this was the deciding game to advance to the next playoff found. This type of decision reminded me more of Gene Mauch and his stubborn methods than most things Maddon has done up to this point. I still cringe when Maddon uses Andy Sonnanstine, and somehow tries to sell us on the fact that this is a good idea, when we all know there is no way to justify that Sonnanstine should be a starting pitcher for the Rays at any time with the staff they have, and the arms the Rays have in the minor leagues. I have learned however, that there are other factors that perhaps keep the younger arms in the minor leagues instead of spot starting or getting a chance to debut for a couple of weeks. I still don't like the fact the Jeremy Hellickson didn't get a chance to start in a playoff game, when he was a better option last year than 3 other pitchers the Rays had on the roster at the time. I didn't like Maddon pulling David Price with 1 out to go and nobody on base the other night, and fortunately it worked out, but it still seems to me that the extra 4 or 5 pitches that Price may have thrown, can't possibly hurt his arm, unless he was to do that every game. Apparently the Saber metric numbers say differently, so we have to accept it, even when we don't like it.

   All in all, the Joe MaddonMaddon, as at least some of the credit goes to Johnny Damon for his players meeting, and the majority of the credit goes to the players for never giving up and continuing to play well. Maddon has kept many of the Mauch traditions that I despise alive and well, but he also has been more flexible and has adapted to situations more often than Mauch did. The Rays don't use "small ball" as often as they used to even when they should, and their strategy of taking pitches that led to a dismal offense showing last year and this year early in the season, has seemingly changed enough to where we don't get that hopeless feeling anymore about the Rays offense. I have to give Maddon some credit for making necessary changes, and credit to the players for performing well as of late. I can only hope Maddon doesn't turn out to b a reincarnation of Gene Mauch, a man who never went to a World Series as a manager. At least Maddon has already surpassed Mauch in that category, and has made the World Series as a manager. Let's hope he can be a manager that can help the Rays win a World Series. Either way, I'm a Rays fan and will root for Maddon, even when he does his best Gene Mauch impression, as I want what all Rays fans want. Simply to be a fan of a Rays team that wins the World Series.

Gene Mauch Wikipedia Page

JoeMa bows down to Scioscia once again

2011-05-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

   Whenever the Rays play the Angels, there seems to be this annoying feeling that Joe Maddon is always trying to show his mentor Mike Scioscia that JoeMa indeed is the smartest man in the room, and it inevitably turns bad, and Scioscia once again is proven to be the better manager.

   It was tough enough on Friday night watching the Rays have a 4-1 lead, with their ace pitcher,David Price,on the mound. Price didn't have his best game, and the Rays lost the game 8-5. This was understandable, as it's baseball, and things happen, and the Angels outplayed the Rays on Friday night. Then the Angels hand the Rays a cookie, by not using their ace pitcher, Jered Weaver, supposedly due to illness. The Angels used a rookie pitcher, and the Rays scored 5 runs in the 1st inning to take a 5-0 lead. The Rays countered with a young rookie pitcher of their own, Alex Cobb, who overall didn't pitch poorly, and had a 5-1 lead through 4 1/3 innings. Then he got a little wild, and walked a couple of batters, then gave up a single to make it 5-2. So with runners on 1st and 3rd base, Joe Maddon opts to bring in his mopup pitcher, Andy Sonnanstine. Any Rays fan that actually knows anything about the Rays know that you never want to use Sonnanstine in a high leverage situation. Sure enough Sonnanstine walks the first batter, and the Angels get 3 more runs in the inning to tie the game, and the Rays eventually lost 6-5.

   One has to question why Sonnanstine even has a roster spot on the Rays, and why they carry 12 pitchers to begin with, especially since Sonnanstine has only pitched twice in the past 18 games. Then for Joe Maddon to actually use his worst reliever in a high leverage situation with the game on the line, just shows a complete lack of common sense and there was no way to justify it, even among all his graphs and numbers that JoeMa likes to use.

   When you have even the loyal Maddon fans asking the question of what did he just do, and even the sabermetric group questioning his management skills for this game, it is clear that Maddon mismanaged this game, and in turn cost the Rays a chance of winning today's game. We won't even start t touch on JoeMa's choice of not pinch hitting for certain players today, as the move to use Sonnanstine was the game breaker.

   I encourage everyone to go to twitter, and just use the #rays to find all the talk about the Rays game today. Even the author of the Extra 2% Jonah Keri made a comment (Link Here) on how they should have taken the manager to the common sense room. No where for Maddon to hide from this loss. Trying to be the smartest guy in the room, instead of using common sense, just cost him a win once again.

JoeMa Matchups Don't Pay Off

2011-04-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

   Well the lineup the past few games, has changed several times, as is always the normal routine for Joe Maddon. It will drive you crazy trying to figure out his methods. Just when a player gets in a groove, Maddon will "rest" him or bench him because of the dreaded match ups. Matt Joyce has had 17 hits in his past 10 games, but JoeMa benches him because of a LHP starter again. Once again we don't get to see how Joyce can handle left handed pitching, because he isn't given the chance.

   The Rays defense made several mistakes tonight which turned into 3 runs overall, and on any night that happens, your chances of winning are dramatically reduced. Sean Rodriguez had two separate dropped balls, the most costly being on pickoff attempt in the 8th inning, where the runner would have been out if Rodriguez hangs onto the ball. The play right before that however, is where Dan Johnson tried to turn a double play and failed by throwing the ball into the back of the runner as he ran towards 2nd base. Had Johnson made this play, or had Rodriguez made the catch, the Rays probably win tonight's game. Instead they lost in extra innings on a home run allowed by Adam Russell. It seems odd for a stats and numbers grounded manager like JoeMa, that he wouldn't have put Casey Kotchman at 1st base for better defense in the later innings, but apparently he wanted to leave Dan Johnson in to hit in the 9th inning. Johnson isn't producing right now, so that extra defense would have made the difference in the game.

   Adam Russell. JoeMa brought in Adam Russell with 1 out in the 11th inning, and nobody on base. I understand he was using the percentages and bringing in a right handed pitcher, but he left his best option in the bullpen in Kyle Farnsworth, and instead brought in Russell, who simply isn't a guy you want to see in a tie ball game in extra innings, unless there is no one left in your pen. Yet JoeMa went with Russell and sure enough he gave up a single to a struggling Juan Rivera who is hitting .116, and then a Home Run to John McDonald to lose the game.

   Lost in all this is the fact that the Rays are still only hitting .232 AVG as a team, with a .292 OBP, while averaging 7.4 K's per game. Pitching has been helping the Rays win games lately, but let's not forget what happened the past 2 season when the Rays pitching couldn't produce. A few wins took some of the focus off of Derek Shelton and his lackluster performance as the Rays Hitting Coach, but realistically the Rays still need improvement on the offensive side of the game. Letting hitters that are hitting well continue to play instead of going with "match ups" could well benefit the Rays offense when it comes to the young players like Joyce, Reid Brignac, and Sean Rodriguez. Elliot Johnson has simply brought nothing offensively or defensively to the Rays this season, yet continues to get playing time that should go to the younger players that are part of the Rays future.

Joe Maddon Tinkers Again with His Lineup

2011-04-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

   Joe Maddon once again showed us today that he will continue to tinker with the Rays lineup regardless of any success they are having. Win 5 games in a row, have a couple of hot hitters, but let's change things around and use 4 utility type players in the same lineup and worry about the process instead of winning a game. The Twins manager Ron Gardenhire put out a weak lineup today as well, but the Rays still lost. Justin Morneau was supposedly sick today. This coming on the heels of Saturday, when he invited 6 Tampa Bay Lighting players to the game. The Lightning players had the night off, but Morneau had to play baseball, and yet he is suddenly ~~hungover~~ sick on Sunday. This treating the players like men appears to really work for the Twins as well as it does for the Rays. This is all speculation, but let's be realistic. In all fairness, we will also mention that the Twins defense today was extremely good.

   Matt Joyce has 11 hits in 5 games, so he suddenly needs rest because a left handed pitcher is starting for the Twins. We've heard the reasons, the numbers, the stats over and over from Joe Maddon, but how can you continue to single out young players, and not let them hit when they are on a hot streak. It's not like Elliot Johnson or Felipe Lopez are critical to have in your lineup. We want to see Sean Rodriguez get more playing time, but why not use him instead of Lopez and keep Joyce playing. Maddon's excuse today was "I think people need to consider also maybe he does hit righties so well because he doesn’t see many lefties and that does not mess with his swing." There is always an excuse, but yet Dan Johnson gets to stay in the lineup when he can't hit righties or lefties. We want to believe JoeMa, but he just continues to tinker with the young players and in turn we may never see how good they could be, because they continue to not get consistent playing time and At Bats.

   Here is some interesting numbers to consider. Matt Joyce has only had 67 Plate Appearances against Lefties in his Career. Reid Brignac has had 79 Plate Appearances against Lefties in his Career. Sean Rodriguez has had only 410 Plate Appearances against Righties in his Career. These 3 players have been in the Major Leagues for parts or all of 4 Years. The point is, we will never know if these 3 players can produce as everyday players if they continue to not get a fair chance to play on a consistent basis.

   The bottom line is when you have Dan Johnson, Elliot Johnson, Felipe Lopez & Kelly Shoppach as 4 of your 9 players in the starting lineup, the chances of winning are incredibly small, even though the Twins fielded a similarly poor lineup today. I know with Maddon it's all about the process, but it's be nice if it could be about winning the game in hand as well as the process, and if he would make adjustments to win games and use some common sense instead of relying solely on the process all the time.

JoeMa's Comments and Lineup for Today

Will Maddon keep the Rays Agressive on Offense

2011-04-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

   The Rays hitting struggles have been well documented for the past 2 seasons under the tutelage of Derek Shelton. It's been well documented in Cleveland and the Bay Area how poorly Shelton led offenses have played under his approach at taking pitches, and trying to work the count on the starting pitchers. I realize this is part of the Joe Maddon philosophy, as well as part of the Rays Front Office philosophy. However, it seems that when something isn't working well, good managers and coaches, would be willing to adjust and try a different approach, even if it was just to try to right a sinking ship.

   The Rays did just that on Monday night against the Red Sox. Ray's hitters were extremely aggressive in their approach, and we're swinging at many first pitches, especially when they were extremely hittable pitches, instead of trying to work the count as they usually do. Who really knows if Maddon altered his philosophy for a game, or if perhaps it was Johnny Damon's players only meeting. Maybe it was just the fact that Dice-K was pitching for the Red Sox, and everybody realized that they could take advantage of him. What followed was an offensive explosion, and an extremely fun game to watch for Rays fans, especially since it happened against the Red Sox in Fenway Park. The final score of 16-5 was definitely because of the aggressive offensive approach the Rays took on Monday.

   Tuesday the Rays had to face one of the best left handed pitchers in baseball in John Lester. He did a good job of silencing the Rays bats once again for the most part, but that is to be somewhat expected when you face a tough lefty like Lester. David Price was better, and the Rays bullpen saved the game and the Rays won 3-2, pinning the loss on Lester, making it even more fun to be a Rays fan once again.

   It was enjoyable to watch the Rays approach to swinging the bats, and see them become extremely aggressive on Monday, and have a somewhat different approach against Lester but still be aggressive on offense on Tuesday. I have to ask the question. Since we saw what the Rays bats can do when they tried a different approach, are we going to see this approach continue, or is this just a temporary change of philosophy in an attempt to win a couple of games? I would hope they continued to be aggressive on offense, and alter the philosophy to enable the offense to score more runs. There will obviously be games where the Rays "taking pitches philosophy" is effective and necessary, but since it doesn't work that well in scoring runs on a consistent basis, will we get to see the aggressive approach more often this season? I hope so, but knowing how Maddon and Shelton believe in their philosophy, I would tend to believe we could be in for a long season of watching the Rays offense struggle. We all saw the possibilities, when the Rays are aggressive at the plate. Will that be enough for Joe Maddon to continue that approach when necessary? That is the real question, that I'm sure we will find out this year in the next few weeks.

SP Times Article on Rays aggressive approach

Derek Shelton's Past Hitting CoachTroubles

2011-04-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

A Facebook user posted this article today, from May 2008. The article was about Derek Shelton, and how he needed to be fired as the hitting coach from the Cleveland Indians as their offense was stagnant. They eventually did let Shelton go, and the Rays scooped him up, an the past 2 seasons the Rays offense has been stagnant. Read this article from almost 3 years ago. Sound familiar?

Click here for the article

Joe Maddon Meltdown Begins

2011-04-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Joe Maddon Meltdown has officially begun. Perhaps Joe should start looking in the mirror for his constant mistakes, and start making some changes. The Rays lose again today, 6-1, with only 4 hits. Kelly Shoppach, striking out 3 times in 3 Plate appearances, and against a Right Handed Pitcher. Playing the stats again JoeMa? Just using the percentages right? JoeMa contradicts himself once again, then has a classic meltdown today. Maddon was right about the call, and should have argued. He just looks like the constant losing and the Rays' current hitting woes is finally getting to him.

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2011-04-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

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Manny, Maddon and the Lack of Offense

2011-04-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

   Most sports fans know by now what happened with Manny Ramirez and his retirement. Yes he was found to have used some type of substances that are banned from MLB. Manny retired rather than "continue the process" in the MLB's drug program. Like Manny or not, he clearly was one of the game's best hitters ever. Yes he tested positive, not once, but twice. None of us will ever know the effect the banned substances truly had on Manny's playing ability, but we do know he was an incredible hitter and it's unfortunate that it happened again, and is disappointing to see it happen.

   The media has made the "Manny being Manny" comments for years, and has had their fun the past 2 days stating they knew this would happen, and it's the Rays fault for bringing him in to begin with. I disagree. Yes Manny has made bad choices in the past, but at $2 million, Manny was a bargain, and if something went wrong, the Rays would still not be on the hook for the money for more than one year. It was a no lose situation considering the dollars, and the possible upside if Manny was productive offensively. Unfortunately the worst happened, and the Rays don't have to pay Manny any longer, but it isn't Manny's fault the Rays offense hasn't produced this season. Manny wasn't here last year when the offense was not scoring runs on a consistent basis. The offensive philosophy the Rays have in place of taking pitches, has created the continued struggle with the whole team's offense, and this has nothing to do with Manny being on the Rays, or Manny being retired.

Joe Maddon continued to act as if he didn't know anything about Manny's situation, yet as Ben Maller said on Fox Sports Radio on Friday night, of course Maddon knew about it, and yet he continued to act like it was a situation with Manny's children. He could have easily just kept it simple and stated it was a personal matter for Manny, and left it at that. Instead Maddon lied to the media and the fans, and embellished a story he knew wasn't true. What about Maddon's credibility? Why does he continue to get a free pass, when he continues to change his philosophy of using players and pitchers in certain situations and contradicts himself on a almost daily basis. His comments on Thursday about how the team was used to cold weather since playing in it in October was so blatantly false, yet it went unnoticed and unchallenged for the most part by the media. The Rays played in Texas and Tropicana Field last year in October, didn't play in the playoffs in 2009, and in the 2008 playoffs and World Series they did play in cold weather, yet the only players left from that roster are James Shields, Andy Sonnanstine, Evan Longoria, David Price, BJ Upton and Ben Zobrist, and Longoria isn't playing right now as he is on the disabled list. 2 hitters on the roster from 2008 are playing in this Chicago Series, yet he makes a comment regarding the whole team? It seems that Maddon continues to get a free pass, regardless of what he says or does.

   Maddon now will get another free pass with Manny's issues, as it takes some of the heat off Maddon and Derek Shelton's philosophy and inability to better prepare the hitters for the past 2 seasons. If this season continues to be a struggle, and the offense continues to be the feeble offense we have seen for the past 2 seasons, Maddon now has his built in excuses, that Longoria was injured, and Manny retired. With or without Longoria and Manny, the Rays offense has struggled because of their consistent inability to change and adapt to the pitchers they are facing. The word is out on how to pitch to the Rays. Simply throw strikes and they will take the first pitch and will try to run up the pitch count. Pitchers that can throw strikes, simply can get ahead in the count, and then the hitters on the Rays have to try to hit when behind in the count, making the chances of success even smaller. Philosophies that aren't working can and should be changed, and adaptions need to be made if the Rays expect to score runs. It isn't just the 1-7 Record this season. The proof is from all of 2010's offensive output, and with the first 8 games of 2011.

   What has happened to the Rays playing small ball, stealing bases, using defense to prevent runs, and taking the extra base. Maddon has changed that part of his managing, yet has has refused to alter his approach for the hitters even when his take pitches method hasn't been working, and simply won't allow young players to play on a consistent basis so they can actually improve. Sean Rodriguez is just one example of Maddon's constant tinkering with lineups as Rodriguez continues to be bounced in and out of the lineup just as he was last year,and it clearly affects his ability to get in a groove or become a consistent hitter. In all fairness, Maddon has given Brignac and Joyce consistent playing time for the most part, but it all comes back to the offensive philosophy that Maddon and Shelton utilize. Doing the same things that aren't working over and over and expecting different results is simply not going to improve this team. Yes Manny is gone and Longoria is injured, but let's not let that overshadow the truth about Maddon and his stubbornness to change his methods and offensive philosophy when it isn't working. The real problem lies in the fact the Rays manager simply won't alter his methods, even when opposing managers and pitchers have altered their methods to counter Maddon's philosophy.

Click Here for Rays' Players Reaction to Manny's retirement

Joe Maddon already making Excuses

2011-04-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

   It's been 5 games, and the Rays are of to a 0-5 start to the season, with the offense nowhere to be seen. Last night Manny Ramirez was booed by some of the fans after he went without a hit, and it prompted JoeMa to defend Manny, stating it was "very unfair" to boo Manny. I actually agree, Manny isn't the problem. The problem once again lies within the Joe Maddon & Derek Shelton philosophy of taking pitches, and then looking for that perfect pitch, instead of being aggressive at the plate and it continues to cost the Rays bad at bats, and continues to not produce runs. The Rays were a hit and miss team all last season under Shelton, either scoring alot of runs, or hardly any runs.

   Manny was given a day off today, and even though JoeMa claims to use his front office guidelines and stat sheets, it clearly looks like JoeMa gave Manny a day off because he was booed. Why else would you sit Manny against Dan Haren, when Manny was 19 for 37 against Haren lifetime. JoeMa's post game conference was bumbled as he tried to explain away the mistake, stating that we don't just use the numbers and stats. It's different when a guy is struggling. Different? It seems that if the guy was struggling, you would want to let him hit against a guy he doesn't struggle against. JoeMa is being JoeMa and already using excuses and pointing out that it's the guys in the front office that dictate information to him to use. So does that mean JoeMa isn't in charge of the lineup? Either way he passed the buck and used excuses today to sit a future Hall of Famer because he was struggling for 4 games. Why wasn't Dan Johnson, or Matt Joyce, or Johnny Damon benched if that is the case?

   Jeremy Hellickson was pitching well today, and the Rays were down 2-1 with a runner on 1st base and 2 outs. Granted Hellickson was at 98 pitches with 1 out to go in the 6th, but why not let Hellickson get the next batter and get out of the inning and give the kid a chance to get a win if the Rays come back in the bottom of the inning? JoeMa brings in Adam Russell, who promptly doesn't pay attention to the runner on 1st base, who steals 2nd and then scores on a misplayed flyball that Matt Joyce dropped. Maybe this doesn't matter in the end, but taking Hellickson out of the game and insuring he didn't have a chance to win just seems to be one of Maddon's classic match up moves, yet he claims he doesn't use match ups when players are struggling. Just doesn't make sense, but those that are blinded by the JoeMa love will continue to fall for the JoeMa schemes, while those of us that disagree will continue to be frustrated by Maddon's moves.

   Last but not least, if it really doesn't matter who the hitting coach is, then why do the Rays have one? I keep hearing people comment, that it doesn't matter, it's the hitters fault. Yes, the hitters are responsible to be better hitters, but how can these young players become consistent hitters, when they are taught a flawed philosophy, and most of them are platooned instead of having a chance to play everyday and grow into major league starters. The Matt Joyce experiment of being benched against left handed pitching, and never giving him a fair shake until now, is now the same situation that Sean Rodriguez finds himself in, with not being allowed to play much against right handed hitters. Rodriguez hit a home run off of Jared Weaver last night, one of the better right handed starting pitchers in the league, yet he gets benched today. This constant match up idea that JoeMa uses, continues to hold back young players that should be allowed to play and grow into solid starters. Yet the match ups don't apply to hitters that have an above lifetime .500 average against Dan Haren. They get benched as well. It is impossible for a young player to have any numbers to show as a match up, if he never gets a chance to play consistently against both left and right handed pitchers. The Rays have already wasted over 2 seasons of Matt Joyce's career, tinkered with Ben Zobrist's career, and now are doing the same with Sean Rodriguez. When will the Rays just simply play the best 9 hitters, and alter their hitting philosophy. when it simply is flawed and doesn't produce offense that can win games? If Rod Carew can help BJ Upton get better with just a couple of days of teaching, why couldn't Shelton or Maddon help BJ the past 3 years?

Click here for Joe Maddon Interview about Manny being Booed, and it being unfair

Click Here for Joe Maddon Interview reasoning why he didn't use Manny

Joe Maddon's Blunders Begin for 2011 Season

2011-04-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

   Let's start with James Shields. He pitched terrific tonight, and deserved a much better fate than he received. The Rays #2 Starting Pitcher pitched well for 7 solid innings, and started the 8th inning. After a single, a ground out and a walk, JoeMa did his waddle to the mound and relieved Shields with a 0-0 Score.

   What happened next was the beginning of the Joe Maddon 2011 Blunder List. Maddon opted to not use an experienced reliever like Kyle Farnsworth to pitch to Brian Roberts(who owns the Rays in his career), since Roberts is 1 for 7 in his career against Farnsworth with 5 K's. JoeMa would later explain he likes to have Roberts hit right handed if he can, regardless of the stats, as he isn't really familiar with Farnsworth. This is a complete contradiction to his philosophies of using statistics to condone his matchups. He then used Jake McGee, who JoeMa had said he didn't want to give him too much too early this season with his inexperience, and is a lefty specialist, to pitch to Roberts, who hit right handed. The inevitable happened as Roberts launched a 3 run home run off of McGee, making Shields a losing pitcher, even after his tremendous outing.

   To be fair, the Rays offense was anemic once again as it has been under Derek Shelton the past 2 seasons, and the Rays won't win many games scoring 1 run. That said, if Farnsworth gets Roberts out, the score stays tied, and possibly the Rays win the game, and Shields isn't handed his first loss of the year.

   Let's hope this isn't the beginning of JoeMa starting to tinker and mix and match, yet break his own statistics rules, and not use common sense. Otherwise this is going to be a long season.

   The headline in this blog entry links to the Mark Topkin story from the St. Pete Times that some of this information has been borrowed from, as well as the Joe Maddon Post Game press conference on April 2nd, 2011

Shields Unlucky or Just Bad Pitching

2011-03-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

     The Sabermetric group has been making excuses for James Shield's awful last 2 seasons, with claims of him being unlucky. The numbers do translate that he may have been unlucky, with his FIP Rating definitely lower than his ERA, but the bottom line is he has pitched poorly quite often and made bad pitches, which has been alot of his problems the past 2 seasons more than just plain bad luck. It doesn't take a graph or a scientist to see this, all it takes is actually attending the games that Shields pitched, or watching his road games on television, and you can see that he made bad pitches, and left pitches out over too much of the plate way too often last year.

     In this article from SI.COM, they didn't mention anything but that Shields had been unlucky and might be a good fantasy team pickup this season, but in the St Pete Times Article, the Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey, said "There may have been some misfortune, but there were probably more bad pitches than there was bad luck." Manager Joe Maddon stated that it was just a matter of Shields pitching better. When even the Rays manager and pitching coach, who rely heavily on sabermetrics for their philosophy, claim you need to pitch better, then it sure lends credence to the fact that James Shields simply needs to PITCH BETTER this year, and stop looking for excuses and blaming everyone else on the field for his mistakes.

     It's time to see that "Big Game James" pitcher this year, so that the Rays have a chance to compete for the playoffs.

THE INEVITABLE JoeMA ENDING

2010-10-13T15:37:00.001-07:00

Well, we all knew it was coming. We even tried to spin it and be positive, and even wrote about how Joe Maddon was winning games, even with his shenanigans, his lineup changes, his constant tinkering, his usage of players that shouldn't even be in the major leagues, and yes, his ridiculous road trips that kept players minds on other things than trying to win games. We recognized the fact, they were still winning games, (even if they should be winning more games). In the end though, the results were predictable thanks to JoeMa's methods. Rays didn't finish the job, and exited the playoffs early.

Various reasons exist for the Rays failure to actually put it all together, but here is a few ideas.

1. Maddon can't stick to a normal set lineup, where players can be comfortable and play well and be consistent. He'd rather platoon based on sabermetric graphs, which is fine and dandy if you add a little common sense to the idea. However instead of just using the graphs and a bit of brain power, JoeMa always likes to try to be the smartest guy in the room, and takes it too far, even if it means losing.

2. When JoeMa continued to not use his best 9 players for the majority of the regular season games, sometimes he got away with it because of the great pitching and stellar defense the Rays had for most of the season, ans some times the Rays lost games they should have won because of the lack of lineup stability that should have been used. Why players that hit under or close to the Mendoza Line of .200 are excused from their ineptness as a feel good gesture from JoeMa is the question that most of us keep asking. All we ever heard was they are going to get "toasty", but as we all watched, none of them ever did once again.

3. When Derek Shelton came on TV and stated that "batting average is an archaic stat", this should have shown us just how far distance the Rays management is from reality. Ok, yes there are new sabermetric stats that show other ways of judging a hitter's worth. But "archaic"? Really now? So Derek, how would you suggest the Rays improve their hitting skills and what stat is of value to actually getting men on base and scoring runs? The Rays had the 2nd worst batting average in the American League, so of course Shelton wants to deflect any of his issues away and state that batting average isn't a valid stat. It still doesn't explain why the Rays led the league in strikeouts, and had so many games that they couldn't muster more than 1 run. The philosophy of taking the first pitch strike and trying to run up the opposing pitcher's pitch count may have allowed the Rays to knock out the other team's starting pitcher on several occasions, but it didn't help much in producing important runs in games that were close. When you have a pitcher that throws strikes early in the count (Cliff Lee is the perfect example), you aren't going to draw many walks off of him, and you aren't going to run up his pitch count as often, so you have to be willing to alter your philosophy accordingly for these types of pitchers. This is where a sabermetrics guru should have more success, as he lives and dies by these graphs, yet JoeMa continued to show that he will not make changes when needed and simply doesn't use common sense on many occasions. The offense was simply extremely weak this year overall, even though the Rays were 3rd in the league in runs scored, they simply didn't score runs in crucial situations and were shutout and had 3 hits or less in several games this year, due to not altering the hitting philosophy against certain pitchers. Remember, the Phillies offense was struggling similar to the Rays offense earlier this season, and they fired their hitting coach, even though they had been in back to back World Series's. The Phillies responded, and not only finished with the best record in baseball, but finished with a team that had all the momentum going into the playoffs, not only pitching wise, but offensively as well. The Rays refused to make changes in the coaching ranks or with the players, and they limped into the playoffs and were eliminated because of it.

4. Pitching and defense wins games according to JoeMa, and I think this is mostly true. However, using players like Kelly Shoppach in big games because he is supposedly better defensively, yet brings nothing to the table offensively can seriously hamper your chances of winning a game. If Shoppach were a terrific defensive catcher, it would be possibly justified, but Shoppach not only can't hit the ball(he struck out 71 times in 187 plate appearances with a .196 archaic average), but he was proven time and time again to be a liability defensively this year, and showed us once again he simply refuses to block the plate when a runner is coming home. When JoeMa used Shoppach for his "defensive necessity" and the supposed possibility he might get"toasty"as his excuse to play Shoppach, it literally helped cost the Rays game 5 of the 2010 ALDS. It wasn't just Shoppach's fault, as the whole Rays infield fell asleep defensively during the game, along with David Price and Shoppach.

5. In the end, it was a justifiable ending for JoeMa's methods. The Rays could have won this season, but unless JoeMa is willing to alter his philosophy to fit the situation at hand, and go away from a graph once in awhile when it is necessary to use common sense, I'm afraid this pattern will continue for the Rays, and they will be left standing at the alter time and time again. The Rays have enough talent to continue to compete, even in the AL EAST, but it won't matter if they continue to platoon players instead of play the best 9 players that they have more often than not.

6. The Road Trip themes, supposedly are all in fun to help keep the team loose in a long season. Maybe this works for them(even though their record on themed road trips would show differently), but it comes across as a ploy not only for marketing new items to sell, but it gives the impression of being so focused on Road Trip Themes, that the focus is off of trying to play winning baseball. Focusing on fancy outfits instead of focusing on baseball at critical points in the season, just leaves a bad impression regardless of the Rays intentions.

7. Maddon allowed himself to become a puppet for ownership when publicly commenting about the fanbase and lack of attendance, and the need for a new ballpark, instead of being the manager and focusing on managing his baseball team. When the Rays owner Stu Sternberg came out in June and announced that payroll would be slashed, and that the Rays could win the World Series and it wouldn't matter, this was the beginning of the end of the 2010 season. It's understandable if the Rays have to cut payroll to meet the budget, but to use the middle of the season to bash the fans, did not help attendance, it simply pushed more fans away. Then doing it again in September in a playoff push, just made the situation even worse. Some things are meant for the off-season, but in-season, the Rays should have been focused on winning baseball games and the World Series, not on politics and trying to lash out at the fanbase, and using Maddon as a pawn in this game, simply further created a lack of harmony amongst the team and fanbase, and simply was incredibly ignorant for a group that has helped make the Rays more successful than they have ever been.

The 2011 Rays will look a bit different, and they may not be able to make the playoffs because the Redsox will be healthier, the Orioles have Showalter, the Jays may spend more money, and of course the Yankees are the Yankees. However, this team has alot of young talent, and they come at low salaries. It is critical that the Rays make some off-season moves to eliminate some of the payroll while getting prospects back. Bartlett, Shields, Garza all may be dealt, but with Brignac, Hellickson, Rodriguez ready to step in, it should be help. Leslie Anderson, Dan Johnson can probably play first base and give the Rays similar or better production than Pena. Jennings is the unknown, can he fill CC's shoes as we have all been told, or will it take a few years? The Bullpen will depend on Howell/Mcgee and ??? with possibly some winter pickups. There is one thing for certain. The Rays won't be able to contend next year, if JoeMa doesn't stop tinkering and doesn't start using his best 9 players more often than not. As RHS, (a poster on one of the local Rays blogs), stated earlier this year, the wizard behind the curtain has been exposed.

One last note....Having to listen to Rich Herrerra mush over JoeMa on postgame shows, simply adds to the aggravation. Rays fans need a sounding board when they are frustrated, not another company man that gives them kool-aid even after they are done and gone for the year.

MADDON BACK TO HIS USUAL SELF

2010-06-30T17:02:00.001-07:00

Well it was probably bound to happen. Sabermetrics folks like to use regression, and state that those who do well will go back to doing poorly if they weren't really good to begin with, and vice-versa. The same applies to Joe Maddon. He is who he is. He likes to tinker with lineups, pull pitchers who are doing well, use bullpen pitchers who aren't doing well and most of the time it appears to be done just for the sake of doing it.

I say this because with all the charts and graphs Maddon likes to proclaim he uses, it is amazing how he consistently will not use those same charts when he doesn't want to. Funny thing about sabermetrics is that you can twist a stat to show whatever point you are trying to make. This isn't to say that they aren't accurate at times, and perhaps most of the time. Baseball simply isn't a sport that can be solely judged by using stats and processes. The results also rely on players attitude, hustle, accountability, how they feel that day, and a feel for the game at that moment. These are things that simply can't be judged by a stat or chart. Results are ultimately what matter in a game.

Joe Maddon loves to use theories and graphs, but only uses the ones that support his idea at that moment. Any chart that doesn't agree with what he wants to do will be ignored, as he has proven time and time again. The perfect example was last night when he allowed Shields to pitch to David Ortiz, when Ortiz has terrific career numbers against Shields, instead of walking him intentionally, and pitching to Youkilis, who has hit poorly against Shields in his career. Maddon admitted to giving Shields the option of who to pitch to. Maddon, as the manager simply has to make that decision instead of letting the players make this decision. The same stats and graphs Maddon so loves to use, were thrown to the wind last night. That's fine if you are going with a feel for the game, gut instinct, but this is a manager that preaches the stats and numbers, and denies using gut instinct.

The Rays have played poorly the past few weeks, and the offense as a whole has not produced. The lackadaisical approach taken by Maddon, seems to lend itself to the Rays players, and they have become as complacent as their manager. The lack of accountability is glaring, and the incident this past week with BJ, is another product of this. BJ isn't the only guy struggling to perform well, but he is the one who consistently doesn't hustle 100% and there is no way to spin that with any chart or graph. The attempt by Longoria to hold BJ accountable was something this team needed, since Joe Maddon simply won't stop being buddies with the players, instead of managing them.

There is many possibilities and theories as to why the Rays are struggling, but it starts with the manager, his failure to hold the players accountable, his failure to instill discipline, and the constant tinkering of the lineup instead of making a consistent lineup that can possibly help get the players in a rhythm. The fact that most of the hitters are struggling on this team, falls on the shoulders of Maddon, and his new hitting coach Derek Shelton, who seems to go unmentioned as being at least partially responsible for the Rays struggles. One or two struggling hitters is one thing, the whole lineup struggling is proof the philosophies and theories simply aren't working, and changes need to be made soon, before it is too late and the Rays become sellers instead of buyers at the trade deadline.

MADDON AGAIN MIS-MANAGES PEN

2009-09-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

We can keep saying it, but it's obvious at this point, no matter what is said, no matter how many wrong decisions Joe Maddon makes, he will continue to make the same stubborn choices again and again, and that winning isn't as high on his priority list as is being stubborn. Maddon has mis-managed his bullpen the past month, and has clearly knocked the Rays out of the playoff race, and possibly made them an under .500 team. I know the pitchers in the bullpen continue to implode, and aren't getting the job done, but why do you keep going to the same pitchers time and time again when they simply don't get it done.

Tonight, Jeff Niemann had gone 7 innings, was leading 2-0, yet Joe decided to leave him out there and let him give up a single, then pulled Niemann. Why can't Maddon either pull Niemann and let a reliever have a fresh start of an inning, or let Niemann finish the game, since the bullpen is imploding on a nightly basis. Then after Cormier and Shouse started the new rally loss, sure enough Grant Balfour comes in the game to seal the loss once again, and made Niemann a non-winner in a game he left with the lead, for the 4th time in the past month. Not only did the Rays lose again, but Balfour blew the lead as he has done so many times this year, by giving up a 3 run home run to a pinch hitter.

How many times can Maddon keep doing the same thing over and over and not be held accountable. Everyone understands that it is the players not performing, but let's be honest here. The manager knows they aren't performing, and continues to run them out there night after night, and let's a great job by a starting pitcher go to waste. 4 wins stolen from Niemann in just the last month. That's not the most important fact however. The fact that the Rays have now lost 8 games in a row, and are on the verge of possibly finishing under .500 this year, just shows how poorly Joe Maddon has done at managing this team. It's time for Rays management to wake up and make some changes and stop having your lead man continue to act non chalant, and as if it's ok to lose game after game, and then state it's just one game. It's every game lately Joe, and was the same situation in April and May, but then your excuse was it's early. It isn't early anymore, and the Rays have played just like Maddon manages. No sense of urgency to win in April/May, and once again in August/September. So much for trying to force the fanbase to cater to the Rays demands for a new stadium. The Rays fans see how Maddon doesn't care about winning, so the Rays fans won't care about attending games. It's becoming more and more evident each game. Joe Maddon needs a wake up call from the Rays management and front office, an he needs it ASAP, before he loses control of the locker room.

Updated list of Maddon's 2009 Blunders and mis-managed games

RAYS FANS SPEAKING OUT ABOUT MADDON

2009-09-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

The SP Times heater Rays blog has been getting alot of comments from Rays fans tired of Joe Maddon's blunders...interesting, the Joe Maddon apologists are starting to dwindle. Fans booed Maddon at Friday's game, so let the fun begin.

http://blogs.tampabay.com/rays/2009/09/tigers-5-rays-3.html#comments

http://blogs.tampabay.com/rays/2009/09/for-starters-rays-vs-tigers-davis-debuts-and-jackson-returns.html#comments

http://blogs.tampabay.com/rays/2009/09/pena-hit-on-hand-stays-in.html#comments

MADDON BLOWS IT AGAIN, RAYS OUT OF IT

2009-09-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Joe Maddon has done it again. Baffling all of the fans with his constant mismanagement has just caused the Rays to go in a funk off he charts. He did this in April & May, and returned true to form in August & September. This time the season id doomed, and the Rays fans have Joe Maddon to thank for it. No amount of optimism, and no amount of spin can cover Maddon this time.

The Rays bullpen imploded on back to back games against Detroit, at home. Maddon insists on using the same bullpen members that are struggling game after game. We all know that the pen is struggling, but to keep running the same 3-4 guys out there game after game, and watch them struggle, while Wheeler, who has been effective most of the year, sits game after game is amazingly ignorant or just plain stupid. No amount of math and stats can compensate for the emotional, and confidence part of the pitchers that are struggling. All Rays fans love JP Howell, but realistically this bullpen collapse started when Balfour and Howell blew the leads in a Seattle game on the road August 7th. Since then, Balfour, Howell, Springer have struggled and yet Maddon has continued to call on them game after game, an watched them fail. No one is suggesting to give up on JP Howell or Balfour. Letting them pitch in a less stressful situation and try to regain some confidence would be helpful, instead of putting them into critical game situations where they continue to fail, and continue to lose confidence.

Sunday September 6th, the Rays were winning 3-1 in the ninth inning, 1 out, nobody on base. Lance Cormier had gotten 4 outs and seemed to be cruising along. Maddon decided that he would use his math, since Cabrera was 6-14 against Cormier lifetime, and Huff 4-7 lifetime. This might sound good, but when your bullpen is struggling, and you use the same guys again, then this choice becomes easy. Math doesn't take into account the confidence lost, and the recent struggles of the 3 pitchers Maddon used. If math dictated this move, then at least Maddon could have used Wheeler who has been effective most of the year, and hasn't pitched often as of late. If he wanted to use math, Cabrera is 1-8 lifetime against Wheeler, and Huff is 1-4. If Maddon had used this as his reasoning for replacing Cormier and had used Wheeler, then it is understandable. However bringing in 3 struggling pitchers is not acceptable, regardless of the numbers.

The Rays updated list of blown games by Maddon is attached, just click here

MADDON'S MISTAKES FINALLY BEING RECOGNIZED BY RAYS FANS

2009-09-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, Joe Maddon has finally done it. He has actually made this blog's haters and folks that didn't agree with us, start to agree with our opinions. We have stated it for 2 years that Joe Maddon is simply not a great manager, and that he consistently makes too many managerial mistakes, and that the Rays winning record of 2008 was in spite of Joe Maddon, not because of him. Yes he may bring some chemistry to the clubhouse, but realistically if you watch long enough, most of these players are simply stating the company line. It's amazing to listen to Rich Herrera after games, as he tries to defend Maddon and everything about the Rays that isn't right. The guy is clearly following the company script, or else he is just a completely brainwashed individual.

As much as we wanted this season to be Joe Maddon's prove us wrong season, he simply has gotten more stubborn, and more defiant with his managerial ideas. People think that Joe Maddon Sucks.com doesn't believe in the math ideas behind Joe Maddon's philosophy. Quite the contrary however, as we do actually adhere to some of his ideas, and especially with Bill James' original sabermetrics ideas. The difference is, we also believe in common sense, and that not all game situations can be figured out by math and science. As D-Rays Bay would say, SSS, too small a sample size. This happens all too many times with Joe Maddon's math. He checks statistics, and uses them to fit his beliefs, regardless of the sample size, and regardless of common sense in a particular situation.

Sabermetrics generally is effective, but making changes just to make changes, or when a particular player is struggling, yet you continue to bring him in to relieve, when you can already predict the outcome, then who cares what the math over 2-3 years shows. If in the past few weeks a guy is struggling, why keep using him until he implodes over and over again, and finally you destroy his confidence to where he can't get it done at all. There isn't a math stat that can actually portray this accurately, as you have to have a feel for the game, and common sense to realize that certain guys aren't getting it done, so use other players that have a chance to help you. Last year, it was Dan Wheeler, and Troy Percival. They continued to destroy the Rays games, yet Maddon continued to run them out there over and over and almost ruined the Rays playoff hopes last year. This year, Wheeler has done pretty well overall, and actually carried the Rays bullpen, yet he isn't being allowed to pitch down the stretch when the Ray have needed him most. Maddon has used Balfour, Nelson, Shouse, and as of late Springer & Howell excessively, even though they have not performed well, and have continued to blow leads and games. Don't take this as a swipe at the players, as they are obviously trying to do their best. It is on the manager to not use the same pitchers who aren't getting it done, yet game in and game out, we see the same bullpen pitchers, and they continue to destroy the Rays leads. This doesn't mean we advocate not using these pitchers at all. In the case of Howell, he is an integral part of the Rays team and bullpen, but as much as he has struggled lately, Maddon has continued to us him in critical situations that he simply can't seem to get his confidence back. Why not use him when the game is already decided, or when it is 8-0 either way, so Howell doesn't have a chance to lose the game or blow a lead. Let him build his confidence back before continuing to ruin his chances of coming back from this disastrous stretch he has gone through. In the case of Balfour, it seems to be a similar situation, but he only has one really good pitch, and that seems to be the main culprit for his ineffectiveness.

Jim Hickey has been here as the pitching coach for awhile now, and watching him continue to go out to the mound, and then to see a pitcher implode shortly after, has been a frustrating scene to watch over and over. It seems that he has literally changed some of the Rays pitchers method of pitching, forcing them to pitch to contact, instead of letting them use their strengths. Garza is a strikeout pitcher, Price is a strikeout pitcher, yet they have struggled in trying to be pitch to contact pitchers. Ed Jackson was a strikeout pitcher, Kazmir was a strikeout pitcher yet they struggled until they left the Rays. To be fair, Kaz has only pitched one game since leaving, so we will have to give that some more time to see how he adjusts. The bullpen has imploded under Hickey as well. Jeff Niemann is a pitch to contact style pitcher, so this style seems to suit him well, and he has been successful. Shields is similar in that he can do both, but he has clearly struggled with the home runs this year, and is giving back leads in games that the Rays actually do score runs for him. Hopefully since the Rays are not going to get rid of Maddon and his methods, they can bring in a pitching coach that will help the Rays pitchers utilize their strengths, instead of trying to convert them into a different style of pitching. What will happen to Wade Davis under Hickey's tutelage?

Final notes on Joe Maddon. The Rays were winning 3-1 on Sunday, with 2 outs to go, nobody on base. Wade Davis pitched a gem, and left after 7 innings with a 3-1 lead. Lance Cormier came in and had retired 4 of 5 batters, and was doing fine with 1 out in the 9th, and nobody on base. Then Maddon decided to change pitchers. Remember Cormier is a long relief pitcher, and the Rays have a double header Monday, so they need to save the bullpen, yet Maddon changed pitchers anyways. His reasoning was because the batter was 6 for 14 in his career off of Cormier. This is a perfect example of using SSS, too small a sample, and abusing the sabermetric reasoning. Maybe this works with a 1 run lead, 2 men on, but with a 2 run lead, nobody on base, even a hit wouldn't have hurt the Rays as Maddon suggested. This is where common sense trumps math. Leave Cormier in, the chances of the Rays winning are extremely high. Instead we got to see the 3 main bullpen members that are struggling. Balfour came in and walked the batter, was replaced by Howell who walked a batter, was replaced by Springer, who gave up a single and GRAND SLAM to lose the game. Zero common sense, and another mis-managed game by Maddon. Maddon preaches one game at a time, but he doesn't truly follow this philosophy. Pulling Cormier because of SSS and worrying about saving him for the double header on Monday, shows that Maddon was again thinking about the future games, and not the game at hand. We all understand trying to rationalize in order to think ahead for other games, but you have to win the game you have in hand. Not according to Joe Maddon, he just continues to spread the kool-aid, and so many fans kept drinking it, until the past couple of weeks. Finally the fans are realizing just what Maddon does, and how consistently he does it. This is your 2009 Rays.

Click here for a list of Maddon Blunders this season

MADDON FINISHES RAYS PLAYOFF CHANCES

2009-08-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

Once again, Joe Maddon mismanages a game that the Rays had in hand, and would have won today. How many times this year have Rays fans watched Joe Maddon make a mistake with the pitchers this year? Jeff Niemann pitched a gem today, no walks, 5 hits in 7 innings.

The problem started with Niemann getting to start the 8th inning when he was tired. Even this was possibly an OK move, but after a leadoff double to start the 8th, Maddon decided to go to Balfour. The same Balfour that has blown several opportunities this year, and cost the Rays a lead 8 times this year previously. The same Balfour who pitched in relief of Niemann, and blew a 5-2 lead in a critical game against the Mariners on August 7th, that the Rays lost. The same Balfour who pitched in relief of Niemann, and blew a 4-2 lead in a critical game against the Angels on August 12th. So chalk up 3 blown wins for Niemann by Balfour this month alone.

We all complain about Shields lack of run support, but how about Niemann's lack of bullpen support. They both have been hard luck pitchers this year, and both have pitched fairly well but to no avail. I'm not even sure if I can blame Balfour on this one. He clearly is trying, but shouldn't have been in the game at the point of giving up a home run to lose it. He actually had 2 outs with a man on 3rd, and a left handed hitter coming up. The hitter(Granderson) is hitting .182 against lefties this season. The Rays carry 3 LHP in the bullpen for what reason? To get a lefty out of course. But Maddon chose to use Balfour, who walked Granderson, then gave up the home run to lose the game.

We have gone over this all year long. Joe Maddon makes numerous mistakes, and in 2008 the Rays came back to win games and hide his mistakes. This year in 2009, the Rays simply haven't been able to cover up for Maddon's mistakes, and this is why they are not going to the playoffs.

All those games earlier this year, when Maddon made mistakes and cost the Rays a win, he continued to say it was early. What is his excuse now? Bottom line is Maddon has blown several games the past 2 seasons, and the Rays continue to fall short because of his mistakes. Clint Hurdle made the W.SERIES in 2007, then had a non playoff year in 2008, and was fired in 2009, only to see the Rockies return to the playoffs in 2009 with their new manager in Jim Tracy. Could this be what happens to the Rays in 2010. I doubt it, even if they have a poor start in 2010, the Rays front office seems too loyal to Maddon, but I guess time will tell. Maddon just continues to make a playoff team, not make the playoffs.

Click here for a link to blown games by Maddon, as well as Kaz, Sonny stats

FOX SPORTS BLAMES MADDON FOR RAYS SKID

2009-08-13T00:04:00.000-07:00

Looks like the national media's love affair with Joe Maddon is finally starting to cool down. Lots of baseball scouts, and sportswriters have disagreed with Maddon's methods this season, but finally this article actually calls it right out, stating:

The Rays also play better when Maddon is less loyal and more pragmatic. The defending AL Manager of the Year has hurt the club with his devotion to unshakable faith in veterans.
Maddon stayed a long time — too long, in the view of some scouts — with B.J. Upton as leadoff hitter and Pat Burrell as the DH this season. Both failed to produce, but Maddon has responded with only one mild move.

Interesting, our sentiments exactly. I know alot of the Rays fans feel the same way and have stated as such on blogs such as the Heater, and other Rays blogs, as well as Twitter. Love him or hate him, Maddon is the reason behind the Rays downfall, just as much as the players that aren't producing, because he sticks with them, and refuses to make changes until it's too late.

Click here for the Fox News article

MADDON AGAIN MISMANAGING GAMES

2009-08-12T15:08:00.001-07:00

Well, I tried. Really tried to lay off Joe Maddon. The guy was actually starting to grow on me, as he actually started to manage and stop making ignorant pitching decisions with his starters and pitch counts, and bringing in relievers that can't get it done. Then suddenly, Maddon started to slowly revert into stupidity again. Rays fans watch the games, we see what is happening. Maddon tries to be loyal to his guys, but again he goes beyond being loyal, and enters the stupid zone. Grant Balfour, no matter how you spin it, absolutely is awful this year. He has one pitch 90% of the time, and it' a fastball, and usually down the middle. He can't get out of jams this year, yet Maddon continues to go to him when it matters most. Friday night against Seattle, Jeff Niemann is doing fine, winning 5-2, and gives up a bloop hit. Niemann has composure, and gets out of these jams all season, but Maddon removes him for Balfour, and bingo, game is tied, an they lose again. This loss not only took them away from being within 1/2 a game of the wild card, but started the losing trend all over again. The Rays of course have gone on to lose 5 out of 6 on the road trip, and guess who blew the last game on Wednesday? Grant Balfour of course. Niemann had a 4-2 lead, in comes Balfour, and bingo 3 run Home run, and the Rays lose again. To keep going on a pitch count instead of how an actual pitcher is pitching is insane. To take a guy out at 101 pitches when he could have finished the inning, or at worst you can bring in an effective reliever, isn't a numbers game. It is just plain stupid. Regardless of stats, numbers, etc, common sense has to come into play. Dan Wheeler has been good in this spot most of the year. Last year was the complete opposite, Wheeler was awful in this spot. Last year is just that, and for some reason Maddon lives in the past on what a guy has done, and now on what they are doing currently. This has been proven time and time again. The only thing is last year the Rays offense bailed Maddon out alot, and covered up his managing mistakes with come back wins. This year they have not. The Rays defense is shoddy, fundamental plays are not being made, guys can't call each other off on a popup, the shortstop makes routine plays errors, and the same guys keep blowing games in the bullpen, and the starting pitching has gone south, and the offense can't score. This is partly because the players aren't doing well, but really let's be honest here. This is poor coaching on the Rays staff. Too many fundamental things are not being done properly, too many mental mistakes, and too many routine plays turned into runs for the other team. Maddon has done a good job in alot of areas, but his continued stubbornness, and lack of common sense in bullpen situation continues to haunt the Rays. This team deserves to finish out of the playoff race because they simply don't play like a playoff team when it matters. They went from being on the verge of 1/2 a game out of the wild card, and now will be 4.5 games back if Boston wins tonight. All that work for nothing. Picking up waiver wire pitchers from losing teams, and trying to sell them as legitimate bullpen help is another farce, but that is another story for another time. The Mariners and Angels are good, but the Rays gave away 3 wins on this road trip due to Joe Maddon's mistakes and lack of common sense, and tried darn hard to give away the one game they did win. All of this means no playoffs, and this can be pinned on Joe Maddon. 17 blown games this season due to manager mistakes and counting...

Click here for list of Maddon BLUNDERS this year

CHANGING THE ROTATION FOR SHIELDS BACKFIRED

2009-07-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

As we stated in our last blog entry, Maddon had been doing a good job lately, but needed to manage with a sense of urgency, and changing around his rotation to get James Shields extra starts was going to backfire. So let's take a look

July 1st-Shields lost 5-0 against BLUE JAYS-Shields lost
July 7th-Winning 1-0, couldn't finish, gave up tying run in 8th, No decision
July 12th-Rays score 3 runs in the 6th winning 3-0, Shields gives up 3 in the 7th, Rays lose, Shields no decision
July 17th-Rays score twice, take 2-1 lead in the 3rd, Shields gives back 5 runs in 3rd, makes it 6-2

Now in the meantime, David Price had his best game of the year, winning 3-2, and Niemann threw his second complete game shutout of the year. But Niemann only pitched once, while Price got 2 starts, and Shields had 4 starts.

Joe Maddon has a good pulse on this team, but why tinker with things that are working. The Rays had won 7 in a row, and them lost 4 in a row, won 4 in a row, and then blew 2 leads and games they should have won. Would they have won more if the rotation hadn't been changed? We really have no way of knowing, but when your pitcher who is winning the most games this year continues to get pulled and you give those starts to a pitcher who isn't winning, it just doesn't make sense.

Shields ERA this season is better than Niemann, and he has pitched well overall, but the point is the Rays continue to lose when Shields pitches, while they win when Niemann pitches. Why change and take 2 starts from Niemann and give them to Shields, when the odds are against you winning.

As far as Shields not getting run support this season, that is true. However when he does have a lead, he has failed to put teams away this season, and gives back leads. Being a #1 starter, means you need to be able to put teams away, and help your team when they aren't giving you run support. Shields just hasn't been the go to guy this season that stops the losses.

Joe Maddon has done a good job with this team lately, but all the mistakes early in the season that cost the Rays so many wins, especially with Kaz and Sonny, are now making even the slightest mistake stand out, as the Rays simply have no room for mistakes at this point if they want to get into the playoffs. This team needs a sense of urgency, and they need it now. Giving away so many games to last place teams isn't what a playoff contender does. 72 games left after tonight, there simply isn't enough time to keep making mistakes.

RAYS & MADDON NEED A SENSE OF URGENCY

2009-07-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well, just as Maddon started to manage well, and the Rays started winning, the Rays players decided to take time off from hitting, pitching, and playing defense. The Rays lead the league in Runs scored, but that is deceiving, as they scored alot of those runs in blowouts, and aren't scoring runs when they need to in order to win games.

Maddon decided to tinker with his pitching staff again, right when they start hitting stride, he changed the pitching order and dropped Niemann from his normal start for the 3rd time this year. That may have not had any bearing on the 4 game losing streak they are on, but why change it when it was working, and Niemann had actually been your most reliable starter for wins this year?

Pat Burrell still isn't hitting, it's over half a season, and yet he still starts every game. The Rays starters were rested early in the season when they were hot and didn't need rest, and they cooled off. Now that they need rest, they aren't being rested. Pena, Burrell, Longoria, are all struggling, and Aybar was hot and can play any of those 3 positions and give a rest to the struggling hitters and provide some needed offense. Navarro is just flat out hopeless at this point, but the Rays don't have much of an every day alternative.

Any manager would have a tough time when your best players are struggling and not producing, but changes have to be made when players struggle, even if it's just a game off. They are simply not playing up to their capabilities, but it is already over half a season, and the Rays need to show a sense of urgency in trying to get their hottest players in the lineup, as they simply can't afford to keep losing games against teams they should beat. Losing to 3 rookie pitchers in a row, and not only losing, but getting a total of 6 runs in 3 games, is simply not good enough if the Rays want to make the playoffs. This team has to show the urgency and put in the effort and hustle to win. Running ground balls out and hustling is not an option, it is a must. It not only creates runs, it becomes infectious, and the whole team could sure use a spark. Winning 7 games in a row was nice, but playoff teams don't turn around and lose 4 in a row, and give up games in the standings. It's time for the Rays to show the urgency and start playing consistent. They have the talent, now it's time for it to show up on the field.

NOLAN RYAN, BILL JAMES AGREE TODAY'S PITCH COUNTS ARE RIDICULOUS

2009-06-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Interesting that the day after this blog wrote about the pitch count alienating pitchers, that none other than the original stats guru, Bill James, and Kansas City Star writer Joe Posnanski have an article published on SI today, discrediting these pitch counts, and showing that Nolan Ryan is spearheading the drive behind it. So now where are all those naysayers that claimed we wrote a reckless blog on pitch counts. Obviously they are the ones who agree with babying today's pitchers, and participating in shortening their careers and actually ruining the game of baseball.

We have attached the article here for all to read. Not our words, but those of Bill James, an original stats guru, as well as currently a Boston Red Sox senior advisor. To all those pitch count apologists, try actually reading the article from those inside the game, an stop your tree hugging mannerisms to keep baseball churning in its current mediocre stage. It needs to go back to the days when pitchers throw 7-9 innings, not this 100 pitches and then get pulled.

Watching a pitcher stare at the scoreboard where the pitch count is posted during the game, how can you honestly say that the pitcher can't see his count and in turn may attempt to overthrow pitches in order not to get pulled, or in order to get to that 5 inning marker so he gets a win, and in turn possibly injure himself? You can't guarantee that, but you falsely guarantee that a 100 pitch count will make sure they don't get injured.

Those who advocate the 100 pitch count, always name Wood, Prior, the Bird, but they never like to name the hundreds of pitchers who threw shutouts, pitched complete games for years, and never got injured. Baseball had a few injuries along the way for sure, but in today's babying of the players, they have clearly had far more injuries than they ever had when pitchers threw complete games and pitched deep into games. Their arms simply didn't fall off as the Joe Maddon's of the world would have you believe.

This blog has placed several stat sheets showing the blown games due to ineffective managing, as well as showing the pattern of losses by taking out pitchers early, and this just covers the Rays and Joe Maddon. All you have to do is imply look around the league and compare notes. Winning teams don't use this constant pitch count scam, they embrace good quality starting pitching, not yanking a guy who isn't tired because of a pitch count, and letting bullpens blow the wins.

Click here for the article regarding Nolan Ryan and Bill James in regards to pitch count

MADDON'S PITCH COUNT ALIENATING MANY IN BASEBALL

2009-06-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

Joe Maddon has long theorized about pitching counts, and not hurting pitcher's arms, and has his beliefs that pitchers need to be under a pitch count. That being said, when asked, the main two names that come to mind for damaged young arms are Kerry Wood, and Mark Prior both formerly Cubs. The list of hundreds of young pitchers the past 20 years, that have come and gone in baseball, doesn't seem to include to many of them leaving for arm injuries. Wood and Prior are always who get referred to, but who else really has been injured severely, and was it really because of a pitch count?

The Rays use the theory that after 105 pitches the "possibility" of a pitcher injuring his arm becomes greater. Well, sure it does, and after stealing 40 bases, a runners legs could get injured, or after 30 home runs, Longoria could pull a hamstring, or injure his shoulder. These "numbers" are created by mathematicians, not by true baseball men. Ask Jim Leyland, a World Series winner as a manager, ask Hall of Fame Pitchers Bob Gibson, Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan, future HOF's Randy Johnson, and Tom Glavine.

Nolan Ryan currently is the President of the Texas Rangers, and he steadfastly disagrees with Maddon's philosophies. You'd think that World Series winning managers, and Hall of fame pitchers that disagree with these theories would probably have better insight than a 30 year career minor league player and baseball coach, recently turned manager. Under Ryan, the Rangers pitchers are not being babied any longer, and in his first year, they are actually in first place at this point. Instead of babying these players, they are taught how to be durable and pitch effectively, not be pulled out after a certain pitch count that is extremely low. Don't you think these pitchers can look at the scoreboard and see how many pitches they have thrown, and know they are getting close to coming out, so they actually overthrow a pitch or tow, or a few, so they try to not get removed? That alone brings the real possibility of being injured, more so than a few extra pitches under normal game situations.

Joe Maddon is slowly becoming the laughing stock manager of baseball. Ask fans from any team, and they will tell you how annoying these theories sound to them, and how they all laugh at the Maddon way. Ask baseball men, and the majority of them will disagree with Maddon's philosophies. The ones that do agree, are the handful of teams that believe in low pitch counts, and babying their players too, but can you name one team that does this and is successful?

The Rays are successful despite Maddon's tinkering and loyalty to the wrong players. These pitchers clearly don't agree with the Maddon pitch count, but are forced to walk the company line in fear of being demoted to the minors, or in looking like the outcast. The past week we have seen Irsinghausen call out Maddon for his use of the bullpen, other relievers including JP Howell showing their frustration over not having a set role in the bullpen, we have seen Price give up 3 runs total in 3 outings, yet get yanked because of a phantom pitch count, so that he has not gotten a win in 2 of those starts. The past 2 games Matt Garza has pitched, he has been pulled while struggling, but had still battled his way through the games to have a lead in 1, and only trail 3-2 in tonight's game. Yet the almighty pitch count prevails instead of letting him get the last out of an inning.

The worst comments of all were from yesterday's game, when Maddon is quoted as saying "I didn't see it as getting any better,'' said Maddon, who was booed when he came out to pull Price. "I'm more concerned about the future of the Tampa Bay Rays and also David Price. I'm even concerned about his future wife and his kids. So I want to make sure we take care of him properly." Are you kidding? He is so worried about Price's wife and kids, he pulled him for a pitch count. Maddon altered his rotation this past 2 weeks, to give them"rest", and instead of it helping, it caused a loss in the Shields game, it has messed up Garza for 2 starts in a row, and it forced Niemann to get out of sync on 6 days rest, when he had just thrown a complete game 2 hitter the previous game.

Proof is in the results, Maddon's ways are hurting this team more than helping them, and what pitcher wants to pitch on a team that continues to yank him. When these guys have contract years, it'll be disaster for the Rays, as you will see them leave for teams that have managers that actually allow pitchers to pitch, and try to win games, instead of trying not to injure a pitcher by babying him and overall stunting their growth and development.

We write it, but it isn't just our opinion, ask the Hall of Famers, the baseball executives around the league, and then ask the fans. Especially the older fans that understand baseball and the way it really is supposed to be played. Maddon will continue to preach that the game has changed. No it hasn't, it only changes when people like Maddon try to alter it to caress their ego, rather than go with what is established and already works. Change is good when it's for the better, but not good when it makes the game go backwards. Click here for an updated JUN 15TH article regarding Nolan Ryan and Stats guru and current Red Sox senior advisor Bill James's opinion and insight on the "pitch count".

Click here for the full article on Joe Maddon's comments about David Price's wife and kids from the SP Times
'
Added June 15th-Bill James, Nolan Ryan disagree with the pitch count"

MADDON STATES BALFOUR'S BAD SEASON IS THE NORM??

2009-06-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Once again Joe Maddon confuses us with his genius comments. In an article today in the SP TIMES, these are Maddon's comments:

Maddon tried to put Balfour's performance this season (6.15 ERA) into perspective in comparison to last year's breakout. "You look at (Balfour's) overall numbers, they're not that bad," Maddon said. "It's just he just kind of spoiled us last year. A lot of what he did and what J.P. (Howell) did last year was like, come on, like almost impossible to do those things. Maybe he's pitching like he's supposed to be pitching this year. And we just have to put it into perspective."

Perspective? 6.15 ERA does need to be put into perspective, it stinks, and is killing the bullpen this year, but once again Maddon only uses stats when they work for his master plan, and ignores the ones that matter.

Click here for the complete article

RAYS PLAYERS FRUSTRATED BY MADDON'S WAYS

2009-06-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

It is becoming more and more obvious that Joe Maddon's quirks are his methods, and his alone, yet he will continue to stay stubborn and refuses to adapt to current situations even if it means losing games, and messing up careers of his players.

The relievers have started to make it clear they want defined roles and don't like being bounced around instead of being used on a consistent basis so they can actually have a role on the Rays. We have attached a couple of recent articles by the SP TIMES, that shows the relievers frustrations. They are trying to stick it out, but why is Joe Maddon insistent on a bullpen by committee, rather than define roles and stick to them.

Maddon was blasted again today by Steve Duemig on 620 WDAE, an rightly so. Jason Irsinghausen finally had to confront Maddon about his role. Not that Izzy has been that good, but he really only had one bad outing this season, and can't be worse than Balfour and Wheeler at this point. Read the articles, it sums it up pretty well. This is simply getting out of hand, Duemig hit it on the head, Maddon is either an ego maniac, or simply is in over his head. There is a reason he coached 30 years and never got hired except by a perennial last place team. 2008 was wonderful, but it would have happened regardless of who managed as the team was simply on the verge of challenging for a playoff spot.

The Rays had so many blown leads last year with Maddon's bullpen by committee, but the difference is the Rays came back to win and hide some of those mistakes, and this year they aren't coming back, so Maddon is clearly exposed. It is plain to see, yet Maddon apologists continue to blame injuries, bullpen, etc for the Rays losses. The problem with this is that the Rays have still had 13 games they have lost due to Maddon's mismanagement, even with the injuries. They still would have won with a manager that knew how to actually use the hot hand, instead of "resting" players that don't need it. The comments he made about Sonnanstine pitching well yesterday, after he gave up 4 Home runs, just shows you Joe's stubborn mentality, and his inability to see the real picture. The articles are attached below

Maddon praises Sonnanstine after he gives up 4 HR, 5 Earned runs in 7 innings.

Irsinghausen frustrated with Maddon's usage of him and the bullpen

Relievers being forced to change roles daily, leading to their instability

Most of the players say the right things, and publicly tell you they support Maddon, but why is it that the players who leave here seem to have great success when they get away from Maddon's system? This question can no longer be ignored, if Joe is such a genius, then why can't he see the obvious and use common sense to adapt to the situation?

SONNANSTINE GETS LIT UP ONCE AGAIN, WILL MADDON EVER WAKE UP?

2009-06-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

We have preached it here for 2 years, and have brought it up several times this season about how poorly Andy Sonnanstine has pitched, yet Joe Maddon will have you believe that he is just a step away. You simply can't keep getting shelled start after start and let a guy continue to pitch at the Major League level as a starter. Joe Maddon was the same stubborn way with Kazmir, and finally the GM forced Maddon to bench Kazmir, now the same needs to be done with Sonny. He clearly is trying, but he just doesn't have the goods to pitch as a starter at this level on a consistent basis. If he gets it fixed in the future that's great, but how can the Rays keep giving away games as automatic losses because of a pitcher that can't get it done. There is nothing more that can be said, it is obvious to everyone, and clearly it's obvious to Joe Maddon, but he chooses to stick to his stubborn methods that cost the Rays victories.

We've attached the different posts about Sonnanstine this year so it can be seen, that this has been an ongoing issue that has been ignored by Joe Maddon. For those Maddon apologists who still can't see it, this isn't a rant about a loss, this isn't second guessing, this is simply plain factual information we have posted for the past couple of years and it is reported before and after Maddon mistakes. It's truly time to wake up and stop pretending Maddon is this genius that got the Rays to the World Series. The team got there because they played well in spite of managerial mistakes, and this year they aren't coming back as frequently to win these games that Maddon is giving away. Sonnanstine's ERA is now 7.00 this season, and 5.30 for his career, that is an average of 7 earned runs per 9 innings. Not starting pitcher major league quality.

The links below are in reverse order starting with the most recent blogs in regards to Sonnanstine.

Log of Sonnanstine game by game Click here

June 08th http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/2009/06/sonnanstine-gets-lit-up-once-again-will.html

June 01st http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/2009/06/sonnanstine-at-minimum-should-miss.html

May 27th http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/2009/05/joe-maddon-continues-to-blow-games-with.html

May 21st http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/2009/05/sonnanstine-to-minors-if-next-start-is.html

May 13th http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/2009/05/sonnanstine-blows-game-fans-sound-off.html

May 12th http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/2009/05/sonnanstine-claims-mechanics-fixed.html

April 26th http://www.joemaddonsucks.com/2009/04/andy-sonnanstine-career-era-514.html

Read these blogs, and you tell us if this is second guessing, or if we have stated it all along about Sonnanstine and his inability to be a consistent winner.

MADDON AND HIS ROSE TINTED GLASSES

2009-06-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Looking at articles from Rays Index, we came across this from 2 years ago, and it is amazing to see what they were saying about Joe Maddon back then, and it still applies today. To all those Joe Maddon loyalists who continue to believe this guy is a good manager, read this article. It was from June 2007, before any of the follies that MADDON has pulled the past 2 seasons. It sure sounds familiar as if it were today, but with different relievers. The story doesn't change, different season, same excuses and lame attitude from Maddon. Click here to read this story from Rays Index

MADDON SQUANDERS ANOTHER GAME WITH LOYALTY TO SPECIFIC RELIEVERS

2009-06-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

Once again Joe Maddon has squandered the game away today, for the 13th time this year. His loyalty to certain relievers that continue to fail miserably has again cost the Rays a crucial win. 13 losses maddon has cost the Rays this year, plus 7 more games of Maddon's mistakes that the Rays came back to win despite his managerial goofs. This manager of the year award he won in 2008 is a joke. The 2007 manager of the year in the NL, was already fired this year, the 2007 W.SERIES loser was also already fired this year, and the Red Sox manager Francona has never won a manager of the year award, but has won 2 WORLD SERIES. Make any sense to anyone? Maddon had a 3-1 lead, and chose to use Joe Nelson, who normally gets lit up, but today he got 6 big outs and did great. Why on earth would Joe Maddon then go to Grant Balfour who has done nothing but blow games and leads since blowing a playoff game against Boston last season? You got lucky once today, now put the team away and bring in someone who actually has a chance to get it done. Irsinghausen had a hand in the blown 10-0 game earlier this year, but that is his only poor outing. Cormier has been good as of late, Thayer was demoted, but he actually got outs. Nelson, Balfour, Wheeler are the three amigos that continue to sink this team, yet Joe Maddon is fiercely loyal to them. They did the right thing earlier in the year by ridding themselves of Percival, but need to do more by eliminating Wheeler and Balfour. Wheeler is easy, his contract expires at the end of the season, Balfour has talent, but needs to learn more than one pitch(fastball down the middle) as his breaking ball is awful, and he throws nothing but fastballs down the pipe when in trouble. Batters literally wait for a strike down the middle, or take a walk from him, it's that obvious. Nelson is on a one year deal too, so who knows where they will go with that, but it' time to use some minor league talent or make a trade for a reliever that can actually get outs. Howell is the best the Rays have, and it's not his fault they wait to use him until the bases are loaded. Bring him in at the start of an inning, he does his job well. Stop waiting to bring him in, where the job doesn't get done. Maddon is either a real idiot, or simply can't break his loyalty to these non pitching relievers that he sticks with. No manager in baseball would continue to light a fire in every game and blow leads like this, except Joe Maddon. It would be different if he didn't have options, but at least try to use other options that you have, and if they fail, then there is nothing he could have done different. This "rest" thing is out of control. "Resting" Pena against the Red Sox on national TV, when he was hot, totally knocked him out of a groove. "Resting" Bartlett by putting him on the DL for a minor sprain, and "Resting" Longoria for a hamstring pull when both players claim they are able to play, has cost the Rays several games with defensive errors from Brignac and Aybar, who are filling in. It's fine to rest once in awhile, but resting guys that don't need it when they are hot, and then watching backups make errors that cost games, when they wouldn't have been in there defensively, has just shown that this "resting" is a farce. Joe Maddon has quirks and theories, and tries to tell us the game has changed, but it only changes in his mind. Start playing the starters regularly, and start letting pitchers get deep into games, and they don't lose their sharpness, and they pitch better. Limiting pitch counts is fine for a rookie, but to continue to do it for years, is ridiculous. Old time champions pitched complete games, that is why they won, not having to rely on BS bullpens. The game only changed if you change it and decide to go against what works. Enough with the theories and quirks Joe, start managing with your brain and common sense, it worked for over 100 years in baseball, it still works. Trying to be cute and use theories, then blaming financial salaries as the reason you have to "protect" assets, simply causes a team to be made up of under achieving and lazy players, that have no incentive to perform. Ed Jackson threw a complete game yesterday by the way Joe, and it's amazing how he hit 98 miles an hour last night and won again 2-1, with an ERA of 2.16 since he got away from the Maddon/Hickey regime and their controlling pitch counts, instead of letting him pitch. Jim Leyland is a manager that has won a World Series, and believes in letting pitchers pitch. Nolan Ryan is another, and since he became President of the Rangers, they are in first place and his staff is actually learning how to pitch. Wake up Maddon before this season is given away, the Yankees are clearly over-rated, they win games because teams like the Rays give them away, not because they earn it. Try managing to win, instead of managing not to lose. Go Rays Click here for a list of blown games by Maddon this season. Highlighted are the games Wheeler, Balfour, Nelson have blown.

MADDON'S MISPLACED LOYALTY TO WHEELER CONTINUES

2009-06-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

The Rays get cheated all game by the umpire, blow a 5-3 lead, then get it back 9-5 in the ninth and take out Howell for Wheeler. Wheeler has blown these type of leads for 2 years now, and Joe Maddon still keeps letting him pitch in a critical game, a must win. Understanding he is trying to save Howell, but you can't worry about tomorrow when you need today's win. He did this with Cleveland a 10-0 lead, refused to use Howell, it cost him the game, now he yanks him and for Wheeler, the MR. Choke, and again the Rays almost blow the game. We all know the bullpen is bad this year, but this is ridiculous. You simply can't keep using guys that continue to choke in clutch situations. Sticking with Howell might have made him unavailable tomorrow, but you get the win today, and with Garza pitching tomorrow you hope you don't need Howell. Take the win, instead of trying to gamble with tomorrow. This continues to haunt the Rays and Maddon, but fortunately Randy Choate came up with a huge save to bail Wheeler out. A much needed win, but please stop relying on Wheeler in game on the line situations, the guy is a proven game blower the past three years. This team needs a true closer, and not another 40 year old pitcher. Maybe Sonnanstine can go to the bullpen and get one inning of outs, he usually gets hammered in the 2nd inning and after. They need changes in the bullpen, and hopefully can get Riggans back soon as well to help out, as Dion Navarro another horrible game, this time with 3 errors. Michel Hernandez has played well offensively and defensively this year, but it's any body's guess if he is a starting catcher. It is a fact that Navarro simply doesn't hustle, doesn't hit well, and plays terrible defensively. The 3 errors today is just the latest example of his poor defensive play this season. Praise to Joe Dillon, Ben Zobrist, and BJ Upton today, clutch performances. Price only gives up 1 earned run as well. Nice to get this win today. The Rays won despite some incredibly poor umpiring by the AAA umpire at home plate. Several pitches he called balls today, were clearly strikes and outs, he truly gave the Yankees several extra outs, and in turn runs. MLB needs to address using minor league umpires behind home plate in Ynakee Stadium. Kevin Kennedy was all over this today, and was dead on it. Go Rays

SONNANSTINE AT A MINIMUM SHOULD MISS A START

2009-06-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

With the off day today, this was the perfect chance for Joe Maddon to sit down Andy Sonnanstine and his bloated 7.66 ERA for a game, and simply skip his turn. Maddon however has insisted he will pitch Sonnanstine and also bat BJ UPTON lead off again. On Sunday, when BJ Upton pinch hit and hit a rocket off the wall, it was mentioned by Rays broadcaster Kevin Kennedy, that the pressure was off Upton as he wasn't leading off and could simply relax at the plate. Even the broadcast team is calling for Upton to be shifted down in the lineup, but Stubborn Joe simply won't budge. If Sonnanstine has yet another poor outing, maybe Maddon will finally sit him down, or option him to AAA. Wade Davis would be the obvious choice to come up as a replacement, but from the rumblings we have heard about Kazmir, he may not be too far off from coming back as well. It is rumored that his injury to his elbow forced him to use a different throwing motion and mechanics, and that he never changed back after fixing the elbow, an has continued in the bad habits he learned when injured. If it is that simple, then why wasn't this fixed in spring training or the offseason? Another gaffe by Joe Maddon and Jim Hickey? The Edwin Jackson situation continues to enhance the point that Maddon and Hickey are ruining pitchers by using this limited pitch count, while other managers prefer to let pitchers go deep into games. Hopefully Jackson just finally came into his own, but watching him succeed after leaving, and watching Kazmir and Sonnanstie go backwards, tends to lend credibility to the possibility that Maddon and Hickey are ruining their pitching staff. Hopefully they get this fixed, and it would be nice if Sonnanstine can just get it together, but with a career ERA of over 5.20 it just doesn't seem reasonable to expect any miracles from him anytime soon.

BJ STILL AT TOP OF LINEUP, BUT RAYS WIN

2009-05-29T23:03:00.001-07:00

Upton took his normal spot at the top of the lineup tonight, but that was about the only thing tonight we can state seemed wrong. They played hard, except for Upton jogging in the outfield and turning a double into a triple. Longo's error looked like it might be costly with the run and Pena getting hurt, but it turned out ok. Nice home runs by Crawford and Longoria over the center field wall...Beautiful drives that had plenty left when they landed. Howell, Wheeler, and Choate did an excellent job tonight, while Shields pitched a great game and finally gets a win. Now let's hope they keep it going. Hopefully the Rays will do something about the leadoff spot sooner than later, try Brignac maybe? Even Aybar who is hot should get a shot there, just get BJ down in the lineup so he can get some pressure off. Go Rays and Price tomorrow!!

MADDON HAS TO BE ACOUNTABLE TO THE TEAM, MOVE BJ DOWN

2009-05-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

Great article today from SP TIMES John Romano. He sums it up with what all the Rays fans have been feeling about Maddon and his use of BJ Upton, and Andy Sonnanstine His failure to drop BJ down in the lineup has simply cost the Rays one too many times this season. His persistence in using Sonnanstine, when his ERA is 7.66 this year is flat out ridiculous. The excuses have to stop, and accountability has to be held. Click here to read today's article. Finally a sportswriter calls Maddon out for his loyalty to non producing players, and for not holding them accountable. It's about time, this article goes hand in hand with what we have been preaching on this blog for weeks...

JOE MADDON CONTINUES TO BLOW GAMES WITH MISMANAGEMENT

2009-05-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

This story is old, and it is the same. Once again Joe Maddon has decided to rub it in the fan's face, an not only use Andy Sonnanstine and his career ERA of 5.18 starting tonight, but he refused to pull him until he gave up a 5-0 lead and 8 runs in 3 innings. How can he continue to be so loyal to a AAA pitcher? B. Francisco on the Indians has a career of 8 for 9 against Sonnanstine, with 5 HR, 12 RBI'S, but Joe lets Sonny pitch to him again twice tonight, and a 3 run home run, and RBI single later, and the Rays blow a 5-0 lead, and are down 8-7 after 3 innings. To top it off, Maddon brings in Joe Nelson. the most ineffective reliever, all year when trying to keep the score close, and he gives up 4 runs to make it 12-7. We understand that most of the bullpen has imploded this year, but that is why you have long-relief pitchers, and Maddon could choose to demote some of the bullpen and starters and flat out cut others, but they already started doing that with Kaz and Percy, and it has to continue. People have to start coddling Maddon for his genius, he is anything but a genius, and his constant micro-managing has killed this team. Why keep using pitchers that can't pitch, AAA can't be worse at this point, really. That's why you groom players. The RAYS are 6 out after tonight, amazing considering this is the 12th game Maddon has mis-managed and cost the Rays a win. 4 losses in a row, and don't blame injuries. This team could have won 3 of the last 4 if Maddon didn't mis-manage, so let's not blame injuries. Pitchers aren't performing, Upoton is terrible, but the bottom line is Maddon keeps using the players that don't produce instead of the ones that do. It's time for an overhaul from AAA, bring up Joyce, Ruggiano, Davis, and keep Thayer for a bit. Demote Sonny, Upton, and Balfour if need be, and do whatever they can with Nelson. This team is going nowhere as it is. 10 Runs should win a game on Monday, 7 runs should win on Wednesday, but not with Joe Maddon and his micro-managing and use of pitchers. This 3 year extension is going to cost the Rays their season ticket sales, and game day sales starting Friday. Several season ticket holders have already listed their tickets on Stubhub, you can check it out at stubhub.com, and it will only get worse until the Rays decide they actually give a damn about this team and the fans. Enough is enough, if Maddon is so sold on his moneyball and stats, why is Sonny pitching period, and why is he pitching to Francisco? These stats are only good to Maddon when he wants to make a point for his methods, but his inconsistent use of these same stats he claims to be his Bible, show that he really is clueless and only uses stats for match ups, when he wants to. The whole thing is a farce, and it clearly has blown up in his face, as true fans are watching and paying attention, and Joe Maddon is slowly but surely becoming on of the worst game day managers in baseball. Winning teams simply don't keep giving away games with bad decisions daily, game after game. There is a reason that Joe Torr, Terry Francona, Mike Scioscia, and Charlie Manuel, to name a few consistently win and stay on top. They make changes when necessary, and don't baby their players when they don't perform. The Rangers hired Nolan Ryan as team President and he is clearly transforming the Rangers and the way they pitch, and actually teaching pitchers to pitch innings, and more than 100 pitches. Why did Mike Butcher leave the Rays after one year with Maddon and go back to Anaheim? He clearly saw a better organizational plan. The Angels have lost 5 starting pitchers this year, and they are still only 3 games back. They actually have a manager and pitching coach that know how to teach and manage, and adapt. Maddon and Jim Hickey have destroyed Kazmir, tinkered with Ed Jackson, who now is successful in Detroit, are trying to ruin Price, ruined Sonnanstine, ruined Balfour, and hopefully don't now ruin Wade Davis. Maddon apologists will keep telling you it's not his fault, but the proof is there, and it's all in those stats Maddon loves so much. I'm sure he won't use those stats however, as they don't conform to his constant stubborn methods of taking a good team and making it a bad team.

Click here for the update list of 12 losses now due to Maddon's mis-managing, and the 6 Wins he tried to give away, but the Rays came back to win.

RAYS PLAY LIKE MADDON MANAGES

2009-05-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

After blowing the 10-0 lead last night, and watching Joe Maddon stay stubborn and arms folded, refusing to take out Irsinghausen when he clearly was struggling, the Rays played tonight like their manager managed. They showed no effort, seemed to not care, and why should they? If the manager sets the tone, that last night's game wasn't important enough to make a pitching change, and leaves Irsinghausen out to dry when he was showing in his face he wanted to be replaced, and stubbornly refuses to use Howell for just one out, then why should the Rays care? They showed that you are the product of your leader. Maddon's stubbornness has cost the Rays dearly this season, and now we find that Jason Bartlett could play, but Maddon wants to make sure he is ok and puts him on the DL for 15 days. At this point in the season, this team is in trouble, and now you sit your hottest hitter for a sprained ankle, that even Bartlett admits he can play on, in hopes of keeping him fresh for later in the year? There is no end of the year Joe if you don't win now, as the season is slipping away already. Why does Maddon "rest" everyone, yet BJ UPTON plays every game, is second in the league in strikeouts, and is hitting under .200 as a leadoff hitter. At worst he has to be dropped in the lineup, at best he needs seasoning in AAA to learn how to hit instead of striking out. Defending this situation any longer is flat out ignorant at this point. There isn't another manager in baseball that would do this, and continue to be this stubborn. It actually appears that Joe Maddon goes against the grain and against common sense, just to show the world he will do it his way no matter the cost. No one wants Bartlett to be injured worse, but a sprain and out for 2 weeks, when the player admits he can play? Maybe that is ok, if you are winning and have help, but you already have 3 starters on the DL, you simply can't keep using this ignorant method of managing, as there is no tomorrow if you don't win now. The players say publicly they support Maddon, but behind closed doors it may be a different story, as there clearly is resentment from those who hustle and play well and get benched, and Upton can't hit, doesn't hustle and continues to play daily. Leaving Izzy out there last night to implode won't be forgotten by Izzy or the players. That wasn't about team, or showing confidence in Izzy, that was about Joe Maddon showing that he will be stubborn and do it his way at all costs, and that winning isn't as important to him as being stubborn and doing it his way...He is going to lose the locker room, much like coaches lose the locker room in hockey, that 3 year extension may last, but players may quit on Maddon well before that extension expires...

Click here for article from TBO.COM about Bartlett, and thanks to Rays Revolutionary for pointing it out.

ADAM KENNEDY HITTING .441, 5 RBI MORE THAN UPTON

2009-05-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

Adam Kennedy has only played 15 games for the A's since the Rays traded him, yet he is hitting .441 with 2 HR, 14 RBI, while Upton has played 39 games and is shitting .194 with 2 HR, 9 RBI. Now that the Rays have major injuries, they could have used Kennedy, but they are stuck with a guy that has lifetime .257, 2 HR, 17 RBI IN 122 games, and that is what they traded Kennedy for? We understand promising him to be traded to a team, but to give him away for basically nothing...and now you need him, and he is out performing your everyday CF offensively in just 15 games..How big is that trade, and how long can Joe Maddon stay with BJ at the top of the lineup and watch this inferior display. No other manager in baseball would be so loyal to a batter that can't hit, strikes out over 30% of the time, is second in strikeouts this year, and refuses to hustle down the first base line on a ground ball. Name another manager that would accept this and not at least move his bat down in the lineup..There isn't one...Maddon has dug this hole for the Rays, now he has to jump in it and watch as other teams bury him and the Rays. Genius that Maddon is......

11 LOSSES DUE TO MADDON'S MISTAKES IN '09 ALREADY

2009-05-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

Click here for a list of Maddon's managerial mistakes this year, and see the 11 games the Rays have lost because of it, and the other games where they came back in spite of Maddon's mistakes. This is just barely 25% into the season and already the Rays have given away 11 games that should have been won. Seeing as they are 5 games back, even 5 of these games would have meant being tied for first place. All the games count, regardless of what Maddon will tell you about it being early. Losing now, and losing in September are the same in the standings, but if you keep giving away wins this early in the year, you won't be playing for the playoffs at the end of the season. Maddon apologists can keep making excuses, but if you watch each game and keep actual track of what mistakes Maddon does, you will see how many actual games the Rays lose due to his mistakes. Granted, many times the team makes errors, or the bullpen blows leads, but Maddon brings in the same pitchers that blows games, leaves in pitchers too long, pulls them early, "rests" regulars all the time, etc, etc, and those numbers aren't even included in this information. We are just showing games that Joe Maddon has directly made a poor decision and it costs the Rays a victory. Tonight if Balfour, Irsinghausen and Brignac do their job, the Rays win 10-5, or 10-8. But leaving Balfour in with 10-5 lead, one out to go and he throws fastball down the middle, then they walk 4 in a row, and still refuse to use Howell for simply one out? Unacceptable. He shouldn't have had to use Howell tonight, but once it got out of hand, the only choice was to use him and win this game, not worry about the next game. One batter won't "injure" Howell, that is so ridiculous to use that excuse again. Rays are only 5 back, but giving games away will doom them, and this particular game may actually turn the season back downwards. These kind of games are season changers, hopefully they use it as a rallying point to get better instead of imploding. Go Rays, we love you to the end regardless...

RAYS FANS SOUND OFF ABOUT MADDON

2009-05-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Rays fans sounding off at Maddon after this 11-10 debacle. Click here for the article and comments from SP TIMES..

JOE MADDON'S STUBBORN WAYS COST RAYS AGAIN

2009-05-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

Way to go Joe MADDON!!! Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. 10-2 lead, Joe says he refuses to pitch JP Howell tonight, and brings in the garbage pitching. Great job Joe, you are so worried about tomorrow, that you lose tonight and give it away. Granted the error by Brignac blew it, but the bottom line is, you can't leave a pitcher in when he walks 3 guys in a row, and refuse to bring in Howell for one out. This game was critical and will no doubt change the Rays destination this year. JOE MADDON gives it away again by being stubborn. The home run made it 10-8, but 4 walks in a row, and you still refuse to change the pitcher. Watching Joe Maddon sitting there with arms folded and leaving Irsinghausen to walk 3 in a row after Balfour walked one, and just flat out refuse to change. If it had been a 2-1 game and u lost, so be it, but a 10-2 lead, and to be stubborn and flat out refuse. We get it using Thayer and Choate to save the bullpen, but after it got close, you have to abandon that and use your best, and Maddon simply didn't..again..this one costs the Rays any momentum..They simply have to make changes in the bullpen..Guess Joe feels safe now with that 3 year extension that he can afford to be stubborn. That would be like the Sux sitting Papelbon when they needed him, or Yanks sitting Rivera when it got close. We get it Irsinghausen is supposed to close, but when he walked 3 in a row, you have to make a change..PERIOD...11th game the Rays have beaten themselves this year with Maddon's mistakes..Go back and count them, the games the Rays have lost this year due to mistakes by Maddon..It's very obvious if you actually watch the games...

SONNANSTINE TO MINORS IF NEXT START IS BAD??

2009-05-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Click here for the article from SP TIMES John Romano stating the possiblity of Sonnanstine being sent to the minors if his next start isn't productive. The Rays have options on him to be able to option him to the minor leagues again without losing him.

MADDON'S MISTAKES AGAIN COVERED BY ZOBRIST'S BIG HIT

2009-05-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Great comeback again, but why oh why do we have to keep watching this consistent mismanagement. Everyone at the game today knew Garza should have stayed in for the whole inning, then bring Shouse in the next inning. The air went out of the crowd when Mr. Home run and Walk (Wheeler) came in, then proceeded to give up the lead. Maddon's excuse after the game? He said he threw well, they were just ground balls that got through..R u kidding, when Howell,and some others pitch, ground balls don't get through on a consistent basis because they actually pitch well. We all knew it was going to go wrong, then when it did, it was 3-3. Then Percy comes in, with a tie game. We all know he doesn't do well in these situations, but in he comes and loads the bases, then Mr walk and homerun#2(Joe Nelson) comes in and you could just feel the crowd, as they booed the decisions. Sure enough, base hit, walks in a run and 5-3 score...The comeback was great, but it again covered up Maddon's stubborn mistakes. We all like Joe Maddon the person, and some of his theories work, but no one can defend using the same pitchers all the time that continue to blow the game. Kazmir can't pitch, but gets a free pass, Sonny is close to him in giving up over 5 runs a game, and the three amigos in the bullpen Wheeler,Percival, Nelson consistently choke away the lead and the games. Kaz, Wheeler, Percy, Nelson are 15 MIL of the payroll, that's almost 25% in 4 guys who produce nothing. They complain about spending, but they spend unwisely, and Maddon compounds it by using these guys in critical situations. Yes they should perform, but when they consistently don't, then the manager has to wake up and stop using them in games, it's that simple..doesn't take a genius, just common sense. By the way Phillies dropped Rollins from lead off for a wake up call, then brought him back and he is now hitting and they are in first..Bosox benched Ortiz for 3 games, bring him back and then he homers...Simply common sense..The Rays are a good team despite these few non performers, but most of the losses fall on bad managing..It's unexplainable any longer...Click here for article on the win and Zobrist's clutch pinch hit home run with comments
Click here to see Rays fan's comments about Maddon's mistakes in today's SP TIMES

MADDON GETS NEW DEAL, BUT MAKES FAMILIAR MISTAKES

2009-05-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable all these Joe Maddon apologists..The guy could be a great manager, but no other manager continues to run out a pitcher that gives up 5-7 runs five times in a row, and then doesn't try to actually sit him down, move to the bullpen, cause a blister on his finger so he can rehab..something, anything..they are on the hook for 7 MIL a year for 3 years with Kaz, otherwise he'd be out of the rotation, but be real, this guy is only considered good, because when the Rays sucked he was the only decent pitcher they had, but even then Kaz walked everybody, and only won half the time, it's just everybody else lost all the time..and having two starters hitting under .180..The Rays have 15 RBI's out of the catcher and Center Fielder combined for the season. Yet they get a free pass..Upton has to get a chance to hit lower to get going, but he continues to kill the lead off spot. Then using Kapler/Gross means no run production too. They score alot of runs lately despite this, but obviously someone isn't giving the right coaching, or the players simply don't belong. If it's hitting and pitching coaches, change them, if it's the players then bench them. Two years now for Upton and Kazmir and Sonnanstine playing poorly.. Amazing how the RED SUX bench Ortiz for 3 games, then he comes back and homers... Only Maddon stays with guys this long, it seems like it works for a bit, but in reality it implodes in the end, and the Rays lose more games because of it than they win. 10 games this year they have given away with mistakes..To Maddon'S CREDIT, he can only use the players the management team let's him play, we all know they have handcuffed Price, Davis, Joyce with the excuse of development, when it is really the money. Sonnanstine is here because he makes under 500,000 a year, Kaz because they are stuck in his contract. I understand the love for Joe Maddon, he got the Rays to the World Series, but come on, this guy makes so many boneheaded decisions, and leaving Kaz in again today and waiting too long to pull him just keeps giving away opportunities..I wonder how the players that do perform must feel, knowing they hold up their end, yet the 4-5 guys that don't keep getting free passes. If they are now stuck with Maddon, then something has to change with the players they use, or the coaching techniques of Hickey and Henderson..The Sux and Yanks keep winning, the Rays keep giving away games, and they all count in the end. The Rays can't count on the others having losing streaks, the Yanks already had one, now suddenly they are hot, and Girardi isn't even close to as good as Maddon could be... We hate the SUX, but to say their manager and players aren't as good as the Rays is ignorant..they have 2 rings to zero for the Rays, and the Rays are a better "team" when they focus on the little things, but the Red Sox are stacked and bring up more young players every year, the Rays stash theirs in the minor leagues. They did it to Longoria last year too if you remember, then brought him up when they had an injury..Guess with Maddon's new deal he feels he can keep Kaz and Sonny pitching terrible keep 2 starters hitting under .180, bench one of your best players to save him as utility-man, and not lose his job....Must be nice to underachieve, make bad decisions, and get a 3 year extension with a raise..Lost in the shuffle was the great job by JP HOWELL, and JASON ISRINGHAUSIN again tonight

Click here for JOE MADDON new contract article

MADDON'S MISTAKES MANY AS RAYS LOSE 4-1

2009-05-20T01:44:00.000-07:00

Maddon just flat out killed this game tonight several times.. Man on 3rd 1 out 3 times, they don't score him, any of which could be a squeeze, JP mows down 2 innings, he brings in THE WHEEL who walks the man who scored, and then HR Nelson who got the ground ball out that Bartlett booted, but then gave up yet another HR to blow a game. Nelson is getting torched, Zobrist sits the bench, Upton leads off still while in his usual funk, and Crawford waits to steal until 2 outs, it's just amazing that Maddon keeps doing these boneheaded things that cost games. Right when you think he might be doing it right, he shows again, that he actually is just not paying attention to details. Can only wait to hear the excuse for Kazmir Wednesday when he chokes it again, what is the next excuse..but oh yeh it's early, Yankees win 7th in a row, Sox win again, and Rays fall further back because of mistakes. Fox's Ken Rosenthal mentioned today that Maddon's contract is up at the end of the year, and wonders outloud why the Rays are waiting... Thankfully it seems management is paying attention to this matter, but at a minimum Hitting coach for Upton has to change, pitching coach for Kaz and Sonny has to change...Wheeler and Nelson are bullpen killers, and Percy makes you wonder every time out, they need to get this fixed as it isn't early anymore, its already 1/4 of the season is gone...Click here to see Rosenthal's take on Maddon's contract

Sonnanstine once again Falters, Fans sound off about Maddon

2009-05-13T02:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, finally the Rays fans are catching on to Joe Maddon's rose colored BS, and his constant excuses. Sonnanstine and Maddon claim it was just a bad night, this is ridiculous. Sonnanstine's career ERA is 5.20, that's his career folks, or a 3 or 4 game set. Excuse us Joe, but every year is a bad year for this guy. He won 13 games last year, but with his lousy ERA it obviously wasn't his pitching, but the run support he received. To see the article and fan's reactions click here
We have added the fan comments from this morning below:

Comments:

Robert from Riverview
May 13th, 2009 8:41 AM
Joe Maddon needs to start coaching the team and stop acting like a den mother for a cub scout troop. He babied the starters during spring training and now when we need our Best players in the field he gives them a day off!

Jake from Clearwater
May 13th, 2009 8:29 AM
I love this guy and want him to do well, but he is killing us right now. We had a 4 run lead!!!!!

Rocky from Palm Harbor
May 13th, 2009 8:18 AM
Pitching is the answer. And we do not have it. Our 3-5 starters have been awful. The upcoming 30 games will tell if this team will be competing in Sept and Oct. The lineup has done enough, this pitching staff needs to perform or we need changes.

Carol from Seminole
May 13th, 2009 8:12 AM
And maybe he is just a bad pitcher...

Murfinthekeys from Florida Keys
May 13th, 2009 8:03 AM
Sonnanstine does not have his stuff this year. In fact he stinks and has no business being in the starting rotation. After given a five run lead he gives it all back plus some. He has got to be removed from the rotation. Nice job by the relievers.

Dave from Dade City
May 13th, 2009 7:54 AM
It's easy to 2nd guess the manager so I'll go ahead and do it. Aki at 2nd makes the groundball by Zobrist an out. Gives that inning a whole new perspective. If Aki is tired from the classic then maybe the Rays should have all players decline.

DrZ from CLW
May 13th, 2009 7:52 AM
He misses where he wants to go or is not capable of then throws it over the center of the plate. It was so predictable it's scary. Joe needs to pull fast and play the guys making the plays not the loyalty bit. Sorry Dino and BJ something seems off..

John from Brandon
May 13th, 2009 7:39 AM
Andy is a nice guy, but he will not be the next Greg Maddon since umps no long give strikes 6" wide of the plate. Make Andy a right handed Howell or waive him. Rotation needs live arms from Durham. Niemann-get tough or get gone. Act management!

Dana from St Pete
May 13th, 2009 7:36 AM
When do we start making changes? Sonny- it's not "bad luck". You need to fix something, but it should be in AAA. Upton can join you there so you 're not lonely and he can fix his hitting. Bartlet should be leadoff; Longo will have even more RBI's!

ben bolt fan from bradenton
May 13th, 2009 7:27 AM
This team is going no were this year. Cannot beat Baltimore, cannot score runs late in the game, and the pitching in the 4 and 5 spot are horrible. Sonny pitched this way in the spring so why is any one surprised? Navarro hit into a double play late!!

Ray from Orlando
May 13th, 2009 7:15 AM
Okay, let's play a game: Who Is Getting a Rest Day Today? My bet is Crawford, he seems to be doing well, so let him sit and get a little rusty. These rest days are ridiculous! Another bad starting pitching effort. Time to move BJ to 8th or 9th.

Tim from Tampa
May 13th, 2009 7:14 AM
You also have to put some blame on the hitters. The had men in scoring position in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings, but couldn't get a hit. That was one of those games they would have come back and won last year.

Billy from Long Beach
May 13th, 2009 7:07 AM
2008 was a good year for baseball.

PJ from Clearwater
May 13th, 2009 6:22 AM
He's done, time to move on.

Al from Clearwater
May 13th, 2009 4:49 AM
The majority of the time,Sonnanstine and Niemann do not even give us a chance to win.Hopefully Price and Davis will be here soon to replace both of them in the rotation.

Brian from Spring Hill
May 13th, 2009 4:48 AM
Why is he still in the major leagues. GET RID OF HIM

Ray from St. Pete, FL
May 13th, 2009 2:44 AM
"It's too early," Maddon said. Joe, get the blinders off, this team is going backward and you're part of it. When you can't beat a team behind you in the standings, that's not a good way to get out of the cellar.

md from st pete
May 13th, 2009 1:35 AM
I was so looking forward to this season.

K8 from ORL
May 13th, 2009 12:14 AM
sonnanstine -- LEAVE. bring up price. he's got to be an improvement.

Mark from Lutz
May 12th, 2009 11:58 PM
Rose colored glasses Joe, please remove them. Our 2nd, 4th and 5th starters just don't have it. Whether it's playoff fever over-lapse or bad ballpark food, it's not working. And the post-game comments are quite scary, sounds very lackadaisical.

Seems like finally fans are waking up to what we have said for 2 years about this Joe Maddon...clock is ticking....it's no longer early as Joe Maddon tells us to believe.. Red Sox keep winning..7.5 games back now..keep giving them away Joe and claiming it's early.. See ya on the unenployment line..Manager of the year in 2008=Joke, Bad decisions covered up by key hits last year, not this time....

Joe Maddon is the Second Coming of Gene Mauch

2009-05-12T02:54:00.000-07:00

Gene Mauch managed for 26 years in MLB, and never won a world series. He blew a big lead one year with a week to go as Phillies manager, as well as blowing playoffs in 1982/1986 as Angels manager.

Mauch was Joe Maddon before Maddon existed. He lived on percentages and matchups, and didn't use common sense. He pulled pitchers that did well, he brought in pitchers that couldn't get anybody out, and he did the same things that we are watching Joe Maddon do. Interesting that Joe Maddon was in the Angels system when Mauch was ruining the Angels playoff series.. Also guess who managed the Angels before they hired Mike Scioscia? Joe Maddon was the interim manager, but the Angels didn't hire him then, and they won the world series under Scioscia. These constant blown games by Maddon, are no longer tolerable, it is getting out of control. He is riding the laurels of last season, and even then he made so many mistakes, but the Rays rallied to win and cover up the mistakes. Maddon got exposed in the World Series and this season for the real manager he is. Use some common sense Joe, we beg you.

Sonnanstine Continues to Falter 5.20 ERA & Growing

2009-05-12T02:50:00.000-07:00

   Andy Sonnanstine just told everyone he is doing good, his mechanics are good, and he is set to pitch well the rest of this year Click here for article. Yes ok, lifetime EA of 5.20 now, he had a 5-1 lead in the 2nd inning, and left down 7-5 after 2 innings. Real good mechanics..

   When are the Rays going to learn and demote these guys that don't produce? Wade Davis, David Price.. sitting in the minors..We keep hearing how Price is doing poorly in AAA. That's because they are trying to teach him a new pitch, and take him out after 5 innings. He already was ready for THE BIG LEAGUES, work on pitches in the off-season, but that might damage their arms...yes in the past so many pitchers would throw complete games, and pitched for years. This babying these pitchers has gotten so out of control.

   Speaking of pitchers, Edwin Jackson has a 2.60 ERA with the Tigers...and the player we got in return is hitting .330 in the minors, but according to Joe isn't ready yet. Yep he only proved he could hit for power and hit in the majors last year. Maddon's maddening excuses are clear, he is so out of mind, that he truly believes in his quirky stat sheets instead of what wins ballgames. Stats and computer numbers don't account for real live baseball players and in the moment how they are doing, they only go on history, yet history changes daily and isn't accurately reflected as what currently is going on. Historical stats are just that, Joe should use what is working today, not from 5 years ago..If he is so stat inclined, why on earth is Sonnanstine pitching for the Rays, why is PRICE, DAVIS, JOYCE in the minors, and ED JACKSON on the Tigers.

Rays' Fans Getting Tired of Maddon's Mistakes

2009-05-11T02:48:00.000-07:00

Today's article in the SP TIMES from John Romano was a satire about believing in Joe Maddon's managerial style. Read the article to the end to see how Romano really feels about Maddon, then read all the fans comments about Maddon. Not one positive, and it continues to grow after each game. Wake up Maddon, your contract does expire at the end of this season. Giving away games the making cliches and excuses every time just doesn't cut it. Make sure to read the fan comments posted today.Click here for the article

Anyone on our bench can who has a better batting average against Papelbon, please come forth !!!!Otherwise, we are only 5 weeks into t he season and need to just chill out. I'm looking forward to Baltimore,Clev.Oak. Clev is struggling right now. If we lose any of these series, or don't break even. I would have a concern. Nothing relieves the pain of a traumatic loss than another win.
Posted by: TBL 05/11/2009 at 02:52 PM
OK, that makes sense. Now tell me why it makes sense to have BJ leading off every game he plays. The only player on the team with more strikeouts is Pena (42 to 34). Pena has more homeruns (13 to 0). BJ has the lowest batting average of all the position players at .167. The only one with a lower on-base-percentage is Navi (.277 to .206). So, please explain why he is still the leadoff batter?
Posted by: BB 05/11/2009 at 03:01 PM
I would argue that michel hernandez would have been a better option in this regard. And, here is an outside-the-box approach (something maddon is big on) to consider. How bout having either Pena or Upton, or both, lay down a bunt to get the run home??? Was there anyone who really though Upton wouldn't strike out in that situation last night? And just as an aside, was everyone else in the world hoping that the announcers were right? That is, that Papelbon really wanted to pitch to Longoria. I was praying that would happen... carl made sure that it wouldn't
Posted by: A.J 05/11/2009 at 03:42 PM
I think what makes me the most frustrated is--why wasn't Pena playing from the beginning? I get it "he had a day off." He didn't play the whole game on Saturday and I'm pretty sure tonight they aren't playing. Why not rest him against Baltimore not on national television? Maybe there is some grander plan but if Pena would have had one home run in last night's game it could have ended much differently.
Posted by: Jenna 05/11/2009 at 03:55 PM
BJ leading with a 168 batting avg. is beyond me. The shoulder thing has worn out it's welcome...Who else can you stick in center field ? The Gabes ? Hernandez would have been a better choice at catcher. Pena should have bunted Aki Home. Who knows. It's spilt milk now. They have to know what their mistakes are I'm sure. Aki not catching that pop fly. Aybar could have stepped on 1st before throwing home. They have to know as professionals what they did wrong. I'm anxious to see how they respond Tuesday.
Posted by: TBL 05/11/2009 at 04:45 PM
I agree with Jenna. What a disgrace is was to sit Pena when all the manager has been talking about was starting to win series...wasn't this a series winning game against the hated Sox and he sits the HR Leader? Ridiculous...I think Joe is reading too many of his press clippings...remember Joe its not the manager that wins the games ITS THE PLAYERS. When a series win is on the line against your arch rival PLAY YOUR BEST PLAYERS MADDON !
Posted by: paul 05/11/2009 at 05:48 PM
I agree with Jenna. What a disgrace is was to sit Pena when all the manager has been talking about was starting to win series...wasn't this a series winning game against the hated Sox and he sits the HR Leader? Ridiculous...I think Joe is reading too many of his press clippings...remember Joe its not the manager that wins the games ITS THE PLAYERS. When a series win is on the line against your arch rival PLAY YOUR BEST PLAYERS MADDON !
Posted by: paul 05/11/2009 at 05:48 PM
Oh and its a weak, weak column Romano because you miss the point....why wasn't Pena playing against your arch rivals with a series win on the line? Maddon has been preaching we have to start winning series again...well he lost this one with the stupid mistake of not playing his best players...resting a HOT first baseman what a JOKE...what he's tired in May? Pena's tired?PLLLEASE.
Posted by: paul 05/11/2009 at 05:52 PM
Upton should be moved back into his natural 2 hole, I bet if they moved him his avg would jump 50 points in a month. We have 3 leadoff hitters on the team Bartlett, Aki, and CC. Upton is a natural 2-5 hitter, he needs some power behind him.
Posted by: OrdiNance 05/11/2009 at 07:21 PM
As for last night, Papelbon was pitching awful. Someone should have told Pena and CC to just go up their and take pitches. They both swung at at least 2 balls apiece.
Posted by: OrdiNance 05/11/2009 at 07:23 PM
One last thing, when Aki didn't go home on Bartletts hit to center, I knew the game was over. Maddon should have used Upton to bunt the run home, he was praying for a fly ball, why not control the game and bunt rather then wish for a fly ball? I am really just venting right now, hopefully someone reads this, but the top of the 9th seriously hurt to watch, for someone with all of those charts and graphs doesn't at least one of them tell you to tie the game at all costs? Man on 3rd with no outs and Maddon doesn't get the run in. Moron. That isn't the players fault. Hes an idiot hoping for a big inning against Papelbon.
Posted by: OrdiNance 05/11/2009 at 07:28 PM

Joe Maddon is the best manager we have had don't you agree ? Compared to what we had in the past. You can't help noticing the lineup when you see Navarro and Upton batting for less than 200.
I usually go with what works and where were they in the line up last year ? If not, they are to be sent to AAA. Who would replace them ? Hernandez at catcher and BJ ? Gabe ? They keep saying they are going to get better as the season goes, but when is that ? When do you make a change ?
I thought they play in AAA until they get better. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he will get better. The next three series will tell. If it doesn't go up then, they HAVE to consider other options. It's not working, it's not working.
As for Pena not bunting, I didn't expect it and it would of been a surprise probably to Boston and I think it would have worked. Aki not running third base will be a mystery. He has the speed.
Posted by: TBL 05/11/2009 at 09:09 PM
Pena should have started - you don't rest the league's HR leader in one of the biggest games of the year. Then again Maddon likes getting bench players in big games - those guys will be juiced for several weeks.
Bad defense lost the game for us. As far as 3 strikeouts in the 9th. It's really hard to hit a ball thrown at 97 mph. Dan Johnson where are you?
Posted by: Herb 05/11/2009 at 10:33 PM

Joemaddonsucks.com sums it up daily about Joe Maddon. When oh when are these other going to realize that Maddon is so over-rated at what he did. Yes they made the playoffs, but they made it last year despite all of his boneheaded moves, because the team rallied to win. It caught up to him in the world series and now this season. Unexcusable to keep making poor managerial decisions. It doesn't help that the Rays keep making crucial mistakes on the base paths and in the field as well this year, especially Aki.. Upton leadoff hitter? He struck out 154 times in 2007, 134 times in 2008, 34 times so far in 104 AB's this season. Doesn't sound like a leadoff hitter to me...
Posted by: JOEMADDONSUCKS.com 05/11/2009 at 11:28 PM

Upton continues to Leadoff, while Phils Demote Former MVP from Leadoof Spot

2009-05-11T02:43:00.000-07:00

It's amazing to continue to watch Joe Maddon not drop BJ UPTON in the lineup from the leadoff spot. No one says bench him or send him to the minors(although either might be an option if it continues), but at least drop him in the lineup until he can get going. We have attached two articles, one that shows the Phillies are considering dropping their leadoff hitter and former MVP Jimmy Rollins from the leadoff spot as his average is barely above .200 this season. Click here for the article. The Marlins sent their center fielder back to the minors today as well as his average is at .202 with 31 strikeouts in 84 atbats this season. Click here for article. Upton is still struggling with a .167 average, and 3 strikeouts in 102 AB's this season, yet continues to get a free pass even though he struck out 154 times in 2007, and 134 times in 2008. How that can be a leadoff hitter is any body's guess. The Rays have 2 qualified leadoff hitters in Carl Crawford and Jason Bartlett, but Joe Maddon continues his stubbornness.

ESPN Broadcaster Criticizes Upton's Performance

2009-05-10T02:37:00.000-07:00

ESPN broadcaster Steve Phillips pretty much laid it out today before the game about BJ UPTON not producing, and his one decent season being a possible fluke. Click here for the article. BJ proved it again tonight as well, man on 2nd and 3rd with one out in the ninth inning, and UPTON does his normal thing, and strikes out with a chance to tie the game or give us the lead. He directly impacted the game again with his continuous poor performance, Joe Maddon will not change and showed why the Rays continue to lose important games they should be winning. Granted Upton isn't getting it done, but Joe Maddon continues to make excuses for him. It isn't working Joe....again

Maddon continues to "Rest" Players, and it Backfires

2009-05-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

   Maddon didn't start Carlos Pena, the leading Home Run Hitter in MLB, to rest him when there is a day off Monday, and his replacement Aybar bobbles a play that cost a run at home. In other Maddon moves, he brought in Brian Shouse to pitch to David Ortiz (Ortiz is 7 for 16 against Shouse) and relieve Garza(who literally owns Ortiz). Joe Maddon claims matchups, but if that is true how do you use Shouse instead of Howell? This was a winnable game, Garza should have only had 1 run against him, and it should have been a win instead of a loss once again, mis-managed.

   How can everyone keep praising Maddon's genius when he constantly goofs it up? From the beginning of the game the broadcasters kept questioning Maddon for not using Pena, especially with a day off tomorrow. For every new genius stat Maddon creates, he makes a common sense mistake to ruin the good things he has done. You can't sit your stars against the Red Sox in FENWAY, this makes zero sense.

   ESPN broadcasters also continued to talk about BJ UPTON, not hitting well, about his one decent year may have been a fluke, and the fact that when he tried to steal he ran straight up instead of running low, and he was thrown out stealing. Can't keep giving away games and series. Yes the players aren't performing, but the players that are struggling are the ones that Maddon knows are struggling, yet he continues to stick with them and bring in the wrong relievers at the wrong times in games. Ninth inning, nobody out, men on 1st and 3rd, and the RAYS strike out 3 in a row to lose. BJ Upton continues to be a Strikeout Machine and stranded the tying run at 3rd with less than 2 outs once again.

Rays Pitching coach Admits he can't fix Kazmir's Problems

2009-05-09T02:17:00.000-07:00

Scott Kazmir tells everyone it's mechanics, but his pitching coach Jim Hickey disagrees. He believes it is more mental at this point. Hickey stated that Kazmir probably believes he will have a bad first inning because of his struggles in the first innings of games, and now it actually creates a bad first inning. What more at this point can be done? Hopefully Kazmir can get it straightened out, but if he doesn't how long can Joe Maddon let him continue to pitch? Time will tell...

Maddon's Pitching Changes Go Awry, Offense bails him out

2009-05-07T02:10:00.000-07:00

Jeff Niemann was pulled in the 4th Inning, with a 4-0 lead. Lance Cormier replaced him and suddenly it was a 4-4 game. The Rays came back to win the game, but one has to questions why Niemann was pulled from the game so early, and the bullpen continues to not hold leads.

Stu recgonizes Rays Shortcomings

2009-05-07T02:06:00.000-07:00

You can link from this post to this morning's article in the SP TIMES, relates that Stu Sternberg realizes that Navarro's terrible start is "an incredible negative" to the season, but stated he will wait until the end of May to make evaluations on the team. Sternberg further commented "We're in a stretch right now where we haven't shot ourselves in the foot, but we could have, and should have, won a few more games". Interesting that even the owner realizes the mistakes are costly, but the manager doesn't get it. Again, Maddon doesn't have a contract past this season, so this might get interesting if the Rays don't get this turned around. The Rays win last night was exciting, but almost was blown thanks to Joe Maddon's mis-managing again. Hopefully the owner is watching and keeping tabs on this team and Joe Maddon.

John Romano questions Joe Maddon's moves

2009-05-06T02:03:00.000-07:00

Read the attached article with SP TIMES Write John Romano. He asked Joe Maddon pointed questions, and why he continues to use players that aren't performing, and Maddon's excuses and theories about it being early ARE sickening. Maddon states his loyalty to these players because of last year, and admits that Romano is right, but Maddon says he will continue to do it his way because he thinks that is the best way to get it done. Really?? Losing game after game with boneheaded managerial decisions, wrong pitching changes, non hitting starters continuing to stay in the lineup, and that is the way to win. Romano asked Joe if he realized that only one team since 1990 has been back 5 games in this division and came back to win. Maddon replies with his stubborn beliefs that it is early, and the Rays are in fact 6.5 games back already. Since Maddon is a firm believer of stats and past history instead of what's happening now, it amazes me that he can contradict himself over and over and people still listen to this guy's theories and trust in him. This team needs change. It needs a manager that can adjust to situations and not stay loyal to individuals that don't perform instead of to the whole team. It needs a pitching coach that can actually teach Kazmir how to pitch instead of feeding excuses. It needs a hitting coach that can actually teach BJ UPTON how to hit, instead of taking strike 3 100 times a year.

Maddon's Mismanagement Continues

2009-05-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

Well now, once again Scott Kazmir, for the 3rd game in a row has given up 6 runs. Yet Joe Maddon tells us after the game that Kazmir is almost there, it's just his mechanics and he pitched well tonight. Really? After 3 years of excuses and babying Scott Kazmir, why on earth can't someone get this kid to pitch consistently. First inning, he walks the first 2 batters, then gives u a 3 run Homer to the 3rd batter. Rays battle back to tie it at 4, and Kazmir blows it again. Excuses for 3 years now. If this guy is so good, why doesn't he ever pitch with consistency and stop walking batters? The Rays again tonight had a runner on 3rd with less than 2 outs on 5 separate occasions, but only scored twice. 40% just doesn't cut it. This team ranked last in this category in 2008, and this year it continues. Bartlett had both RBI'S and was the 40%. Aki may hit .300, but does anybody notice that his hits come in blowouts, not when the Rays need a hit, or with a man on 3rd and less than 2 outs. Maddon mentioned this problem tonight after the game, but then says, "I thought we played really well tonight". Who is he kidding? He really believes this garbage, and that is what perplexes us most. After Kazmir gets removed, Joe Nelson had a rough night, and got lit up. Balfour did well in relief tonight, getting everybody he faced out. Maddon continues to play Navarro who is hitting .160 with 3 RBI'S, and has been terrible defensively. BJ UPTON is hitting .152 with 2 RBI'S, but at least his defense has been stellar. Why do you keep letting Upton hit leadoff? Navarro finally hits ninth, but having him and Upton back to back kill any chance of scoring runs. The Rays had a chance in the 9th inning tonight, 2 runners on base, 0 outs, but then Navarro, and Upton both got out killing any chance of a comeback. Pat Burrell was sitting on the bench and could have pinch hit for Navarro and gave us a chance, but Maddon sticks with his worst hitters, and just gives the game away once again. How can this team win consistently, when Maddon keeps making excuses for pitchers that don't grow up and get it, and then won't take out hitters that can't hit, especially in a rally. How do the other players have any motivation to try to win, when the manager keeps giving away games because of basically 4-5 players? Kazmir, Sonnanstine, Navarro, Upton are killing this team's chances of winning? Hearing Maddon's excuses once again tonight, and hearing Scott Kazmir state after the game, that they just don't get up for the games like they do when it's the Red Sox, sums it up. Joe Maddon will keep being Mr. Optimistic, and say it's early, but every game counts, and Navarro and Upton both have over 100 at-bats already, and Kazmir has done this for 3 years now. Sonnanstine has a 5.13 ERA for his career, but the Rays just keep David Price, and Wade Davis in the minors, with the constant fabrication that they need seasoning. Well so does Kazmir, Sonnasntine, Navarro, and Upton but the excuses just keep coming. Winning managers make adjustments, not excuses. Maddon does the latter, and once again the Rays loss is a direct result of Joe Maddon's stubbornness.

Navarro to continue Starting

2009-05-03T01:52:00.000-07:00

Why would Joe Maddon do this again. Navarro is clearly not hustling, not showing any respect to his teammates, is clearly not about the team, not playing defense, and not hitting. 0 FOR 9 with a man on third this year, and less than 2 outs, and not one of the runners scored. No SAC FLY, nothing, just zero production. Hernandez is catching excellent, and giving confidence to Garza and Shields to throw their pitches without worrying about Navarro missing them. Yet already Joe has announced Navarro will start Monday with KAZMIR, and Tuesday a day game with Garza. What is successful, Maddon must tinker with and screw it up. Click the title to read the article on Maddon's comments about Navarro starting again.

Navarro's Poor Performance Hurting Rays

2009-05-03T01:35:00.000-07:00

Jeff Niemann struggled last night, but the Rays defense didn't help anything out at all. Finally when the team was down, they came back to score some runs and make it close. Questioning Joe's move again for taking out a pitcher that is doing well. Cormier was doing great and had the Sox under control a bit, getting 6 outs, and since he is the long reliever in Joe's own comments, then why does he get pulled? As much as we love Balfour, he only has one pitch, and he gets hammered by the top of the Sox lineup because of throwing nothing but fastballs. Watching Navarro make another defensive mistake is killing this team. His attitude is clearly not right, he is not doing the work he claims to do. When teammates are excited he sits dejected as he isn't about team, he is about himself again, just like 2007. This game wasn't meant to be, it was a team loss with bad starting pitching, bad bullpen, errors, and runners left on base. One note about Kapler-He clearly isn't quick in the outfield or on the basepath. As much as we have watched Gabe Gross struggle, he is actually better than Kapler in the outfield. Benching your hottest hitter in Bartlett tonight is another questionable move by Maddon. Read the article linked to this Post about Navarro from Gary Shelton of the SP TIMES. Obviously everyone is noticing Navarro's play. Those who watch and attend every game can see what is really going on.

Edwin Jackson Traded instead of Sonnanstine for Salary Reasons

2009-04-26T01:32:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note, the Rays traded EDWIN JACKSON for MATT JOYCE. Getting JOYCE was a great pickup, but the RAYS left him in the minors so he gets less money the next few years by holding down his service time in the majors. Same thing with DAVID PRICE, and WADE DAVIS. Think differently? Sonnanstine makes $480,000 this year, and JACKSON makes $2.2 million. They didn't trade Jackson because SONNANSTINE was better. They cut salary. Plain and simple. Next year they will dump Sonnanstine when his salary goes up, then use PRICE and DAVIS because they are the cheaper option. This isn't a "winning organization". The players must know this, and it clearly seems to reflect on their play this year. The RAYS spent $8 million on PAT BURRELL, and they act like that broke the bank. Any other year, this guy would have gotten double that for being a 30 HR, 95 RBI guy for 6 years. Cheap, cheap, cheaper. We have no problem with running the organization cost efficiently, but don't get rid of players or hold them in the minors just to make or save a buck. Marlins have a low payroll, but they play their best players still.

Andy Sonnanstine Career ERA 5.14 & Growing

2009-04-26T01:17:00.000-07:00

Here we are again, losing another series due to no offense. Andy Sonnanstine can't get people out once again today and is now 0-3 with an ERA OF 7.78. This is the same guy that had an ERA last year of 4.38, and the year before 5.85. Yet he gets to be considered a 4th starter? You trade Edwin Jackson for a young hitter Matt Joyce, who by the way is 9 for 20 in triple AAA, this past week, then you send him to the minors and you are scoring under 3 runs a game. Your future right fielder can hit and hit for power as he proved last year with Detroit, but the RAYS are so cheap they send JOYCE and DAVID PRICE to the minors. We could use PRICE and JOYCE right now. Price's numbers aren't great at AAA this year, but that's because they yank him after 5 innings every time to supposedly preserve his arm. Give it a rest already Joe Maddon, with this stats game that you play, it is obvious that you are clueless, and 2008 is slowly becoming a lucky year for the RAYS. We all know that Maddon made so many mistakes last year, and the RAYS offense would bail him out with a big hit, or the defense would make a big play, but in the WORLD SERIES it caught up to him. His true manager skills are showing now, as he has a better team this year, and they are awful. A lineup change is in order, if it isn't working you have to change it, and add JOYCE now! Sonnastine needs to go, he will never be a top starter, this guy gives up hits and runs every time the RAYS score for him, he comes right back and coughs up the lead. This is better than DAVID PRICE and WADE DAVIS? It boils down to MONEY once again, the RAYS are being cheap. It is so tiresome to hear MADDON every day after the game with old worn out cliches' about how we need to get going. We are already 6.5 games behind and Boston shows no signs of slowing down, but Joe Maddon INSISTS on being stubborn and refuses to adjust. It is more and more obvious he is a puppet to the RAYS in order to not spend money. He is the guy who makes the excuses and kisses the GM's behind, and takes the heat, but some of these moves during the game are just pathetic. Bringing in Cormier today in relief, and have him intentionally walk a batter to set up a double play, but then the next batter walks to force a run home. Great move Joe, you don't even know your own pitchers weaknesses, yet you manage this team using stats instead of common sense. Stats simply are deceiving and don't tell the whole story. Clearly it is time for a change in this team, someone needs to be demoted now and send a wake up call. Perhaps they need a real hitting coach? We all know Maddon won't get fired. Standing pat is not an option. The season is fading away quickly, and you won't be able to catch up this time. Is this what we are always going to see with the RAYS. What a waste of an organization, so much talent, but cheap owners, and slave manager and coaches making decisions based on money, not on winning. Using computers and stats instead of brains is clearly showing as the wrong mode to winning championships. Have you seen any team win the WORLD SERIES using the money ball theme? Nope, all winners use brains, common sense, and knowledge of the game, not a computer stat that doesn't tell the whole story. This team is heading down fast, an we have JOE MADDON piloting it into the ground. Another RAYS LOSS 7-1.

Maddon's Stubborness Shows Again

2009-04-23T01:15:00.000-07:00

Once again, RAYS score no runs. Dion Navarro, 1 RBI all season so far, the past 3 games with runners on third and less than 2 outs, NAVARRO can't get the run home. You would think Maddon would drop him down a slot so the few runs they might score would have a chance to get home with another batter. I guess NAVARRO can't bunt either, or we could try to squeeze a run home. Then NAVARRO finally hits a fly ball to end the game. Couldn't hit it earlier. Maddon has gotten away with alot of boneheaded moved the past 2 seasons, and it finally is catching up to him. A lineup of Hitters that the RAYS have, has no excuses for failing to score runs, but MADDON is always loyal to those who don't perform well. Another wasted pitching performance. They scored 9 runs last night, but left 15 runners on base. NAVARRO left 6 on base tonight by himself. The clock is ticking on the RAYS season. It's early, but once again, all games count. Seattle made 3 errors, we had 4 walks, but couldn't score a single run.....Sure players have to perform, but managers have to adjust, and stop going by some computer mold instead of common sense. 6 WINS 10 LOSSES Another RAYS LOSS 1-0.

Rays show no Heart Again Tonight

2009-04-21T01:12:00.000-07:00

This team looks lifeless. They score twice in the first inning, Sonnastine makes an error giving back a run, and then except for 2 ZOBRIST deep drives that fell short(1 for a double, 1 for an out) the team did nothing. 6 hits the whole game. Can't win games when you can't hit. It may be early, but all the games count, and the Rays can't win a division if they can't hit. Do they even take batting practice? It's tiresome hearing the same excuses daily from Joe Maddon, ultimately it is time to change something on offense, or a hitting coach needs to be cut loose. Too many top hitters on this team to average 2 runs a game. Another RAYS LOSS 4-2.

Joe Maddon Sucks

2008-09-18T00:47:00.000-07:00

APRIL 22-2009 UPDATED-
Here we are again, watching the Rays we love choke on it due to Joe Maddon's stubborn managing. David Price in the minors, Dan Wheeler, Troy Percival already pitching like they did last year, already costing us leads, and games. Our biggest weakness on offense(Not scoring runners on 3rd base with less than 2 outs) continues. Carl Crawford for years has been so overrated, but the past 3 years he continues to strike out every time there is a run scoring opportunity. Needless to say it isn't just Carl, as the whole team can't hit with runners on third and less than 2 outs. Honestly this team isn't anything like 2008 where they forced runs home. I see no heart from several players this year. Joe Maddon preaches fundamentals, but he continues to let guys off the hook when they don't do the fundamental things like bunt, sacrifice flies, ground to the right side. Aki Iwamura, as great defensively as he has been, can't hit with a man on base for his life. Do you know he struck out 144 times in '07, and 131 times in '08. I'd rather see Ben Zobrist play daily, he actually gets clutch hits the past two seasons and always hustles. Maybe it wouldn't matter as the team is in a funk, but watching Joe Maddon continue to demote young players that can play?(PRICE, JOYCE, DAVIS) and keeping the Gabe Gross, Dan Wheeler, Troy Percivals around is just plain ignorant. All of the Rays starters give up runs lately, but they can't score any runs to compensate. Time to wake players up Joe, we all know the Rays won't succeed without any offense, but Maddon is so loyal to washed up players, I see this becoming a long year for the Rays and all of us fans. They want attendance, and we are coming, last year 3 out of 4 seats sold for the year, and we're above that pace this year, but Rays ownership continues to blame fans for not having money, but if you played your best players instead of hiding them in the minor leagues for financial gain, this team would have a chance.

SEPTEMBER-2008 Again tonight we watch the Rays get the lead, and watch Joe Maddon blow it. All year this idiot has made mistake after mistake, yet the Rays come back to win games and bail him out and all everyone talks about is how smart Joe Maddon is, or how good a manager he has become. Please!!!! Anyone that actually watches these games, knows this is complete garbage. This guy has single handedly made the worst managerial moves we have seen in years. He changes pitchers on a whim. When pitchers are doing well, he blames pitch count on repalcing them, when they suck, he leaves them in and let's them continue to get lit up. This has been covered up all year by the fact the Rays have come back to win so many of these games. Troy Percival was lights out from April-June, but since he has been torched. What does Joe Maddon say? He's my closer, we can't get to the post-season without him. Really?? It looks like the Rays record is actually better when Troy isn't pitching this year, especially the second half. Then he starts to use Dan Wheeler to close when Troy was "hurt". Wheeler too was lights out at first, but the past 7 appearances, he has 4 blown saves, 1 saves, and the other two times he gave up 2 or more runs in one inning. Yet here it is the RAYS can get one game within clinching a playoff spot. David Price pitching, he strikes out the last 2 batters he faces, and blows them away. Why not leave the guy in that is getting it done? Because that isn't the MADDON way. He has to make it hard. Price could have finished the game, but nope. How about BALFOUR? He has been lights out all season, throws 95 plus, has several saves when Percival and Wheeler were hurt or unavailable to pitch, yet Maddon refuses to use him to close games. The one logical choice to get outs consistently, yet he refuses to use this guy. Anytime the RAYS have a pitcher doing well, MADDON inevitably changes him for a guy that will pitch to one batter or one inning. This is so over mangaged, and for what? I thought it was supposed to be about using your hot hand, your best guys, not about being loyal to guys that are getting lit up night in and night out. So what happens tonight? 8th inning he brings in the gas can in Percival, and of course Troy makes it tough, yet somehow gets out of it for once. But fear not Minnesota Twins, the Rays manager is going to give you another free chance in WHEELER!! Base hit, home run, double, BAM, before you know it an 8-6 lead is an 11-8 loss and after the game Maddon again making excuses about I felt good about Wheeler going in. How do you feel good about a guy who has blown all these games in the past 3 weeks, and instead of a 7-8 GAME lead, the RAYS are only 1.5 games up on the Redsox, and still haven't clinched a playoff spot. I watch the games, I understand the game, and I have never ever seen such stupidity and constant mistakes in a manager and then compounded by his stubborness. Just when you think MADDON gets it by taking GARZA out with a lead and 4 2/3 innings pitched, showing that Garza getting a win isn't as important as getting the team a win, he pulls this boneheaded move again tonight, not only with one gas can, but with both Percival and Wheeler, giving the TWINS 2 chances to ignite a rally. All the while Price only pitched 2/3 of an inning, and Balfour sits in the bullpen unused. Ridiculous. And they want to ask why fans don't come and can't relate to this team. We can understand losing the game with your best players, it happens. But to keep giving games away because of one stubborn manager, who seems to care more about 2 players, than about the other 23 team members, plus the rest of the group called up in September, is totally unacceptable. The RAYS will continue to be the butt of the league, and have minimal respect, and this will catch up to them eventually. They have made MADDON lucky all year, but now in crunch time against good teams, it's time to pay the Piper. The Rays are good enough to win this year, but they won't because instead of having a manager adjust to situations, the RAYS have a stubborn manager tha believes in being loyal to 2 guys, and believes in switching pitchers 6 times a game, rather than letiing good pitchers finish the game. He'd rather try to be a genius, then to actually be smart and win. Watching tonight, we sat here and saw Percival warming up, knowing that this was a loss coming. We all sat here and said we felt it coming, it is so predicatable, and sure enough, it happens again. Enough is enough, someone wake this idiot up, and force him to actually use his best bullpen pitchers, before he blows the RAYS golden opportunity. One more note: Anybody watching the interview with the Rays owner on Monday during the Red Sox game? Did you hear him state how he wouldn't show up for a playoff clinching game, only if the RAYS clinched the division? Yeh that's the same owner that a minute later said how dissapointing it was not to have more fans in the stands, but here he admits that he won't even show up for the games unless it is clinching the division. It's on video, go back and watch it at MLB.COM under the Rays game on MONDAY 9-15-08. Unreal, no wonder the fans voice isn't heard, and reality isn't a concern, and we can't get MADDON to change and listen. The owner doesn't even go to the games. Enough said. Just think if Piniella had this team, they wouldn't be blowing saves, because he wouldn't keep using them. The RAYS would be 7-8 games ahead with a real manager. This comes from a RAYS fan who watches every game, and a former Angels fan who watched Percival for years. Love you Troy, but it's time to coach instead of killing this team by pitching like garbage, and then continuing to take the ball. I hope they win the World Series, but if they do, it won't be because of Joe Maddon, it will be despite Joe Maddon and his mistakes. If that happens, that will show just how great this team really was. A great team, yet an idiot for a manager. WAKE UP JOE. Ditch the computer, and use the brain. READ COMMENTS ABOUT RAYS BLOWN REDSOX GAME IN ALCS BELOW. CLICK ON COMMENTS TO ADD TO THIS BLOG. Wheeler 7 Blown saves since SEP 1ST...Keep it up Joe, manage this team out of the WORLD SERIES. Love the Rays, hate Maddon's constant stupid decisions, but love his leadership and development. He could be so great except for the stubborness and boneheaded loyalty to players that don't produce.